# Catholic alcohol consumption drops to record low as Americans rethink moderate drinking habits

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/catholic-alcohol-consumption-drops-to-record-low-as-americans-rethink-moderate-drinking-habits/
- Published: 2026-10-25T13:00:04+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-25T14:24:19+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/health/catholic-alcohol-consumption-drops-record-low-americans-rethink-moderate-drinking-habits
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Catholic drinking rates fell from 79% to 55%.
- Views of moderate drinking have become more negative.
- Fewer drinkers have not meant fewer alcohol-related deaths.

## Summary

The share of US Catholic adults who say they drink alcohol has fallen to 55%, a record low in the Gallup figures cited, down from 79% in 2002–2004. The decline comes as Americans increasingly question whether moderate drinking is good for their health, though experts say the figures do not prove that religious or cultural changes are driving Catholics’ shift.

Gallup analyst Frank Newport reported that Protestant drinking rates stayed at 54% over the same period. In the latest poll, 52% of Catholics, 56% of adults with no religious affiliation and 48% of Protestants said one or two drinks a day was bad for health. Neuroscientist Joshua Gowin pointed to growing evidence of alcohol’s harms and changing social habits, while cautioning that subgroup survey results can vary; he also noted that alcohol-related deaths have risen in recent years.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.