The share of Catholic adults in the United States who report drinking alcohol has fallen to 55%, according to a Gallup report authored by analyst Frank Newport.<\/p>\n
That marks a decline from the 2002\u20132004 period, when 79% of Catholics reported consuming alcoholic beverages<\/a>. Over that same timeframe, self-reported Protestant drinking rates remained flat at 54%.<\/p>\n HEAVY DRINKING SURGES AMONG AMERICANS IN ONE AGE GROUP AS OTHER GENERATIONS CUT BACK<\/a><\/p>\n “Drinking has dropped significantly within both the group of those who have no religious identity and, in particular, among Catholics,” Newport wrote in the analysis.<\/p>\n However, experts urged caution when drawing sweeping conclusions from subgroup survey data.<\/p>\n Dr. Joshua Gowin, an associate professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus who studies alcohol’s effects on the brain<\/a>, noted that self-reported polling figures can fluctuate based on sampling.<\/p>\n Historically, Catholics were far more likely to drink than Protestants, but a sharp drop in Catholic drinking has completely eliminated that long-standing gap. (iStock)<\/p>\n “There’s definitely a general pattern of alcohol use decreasing across groups,” Gowin told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n “As far as the subgroups go, it wasn’t clear or necessarily compelling to me that one group was showing a broad trend that wasn’t reflected in the other groups,” he went on.\u00a0<\/p>\n BRAD PITT SAYS HE CAN DRINK IN \u2018RESTRAINED MANNER\u2019 AFTER 7 SOBER YEARS, BUT EXPERT RAISES RED FLAG<\/a><\/p>\n “It seemed like really only one data point showed that effect … which made me a little skeptical that this is a broader phenomenon versus a single survey sample.”<\/p>\n Despite methodological limitations in tracking specific religious subgroups, researchers agree that broader social and health trends<\/a> are driving a shift in overall drinking habits.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n Gallup findings indicate that a majority of Americans now view moderate drinking<\/a> \u2014 defined as one or two drinks per day \u2014 as bad for their health.<\/p>\n In the latest polling, 52% of Catholics said moderate alcohol consumption is bad for health, alongside 56% of adults with no religious affiliation and 48% of Protestants.<\/p>\n Perceptions surrounding alcohol health risks have changed, with a majority across all religious demographics now viewing moderate drinking (one to two drinks daily) as bad for their health. (iStock)<\/p>\n Gowin noted that this public shift reflects decades of neuroscience and medical research<\/a>.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES<\/a><\/p>\n “Twenty years ago, there was still kind of a push and pull between some benefits of alcohol and then some things that even then we knew were potentially harmful,” he said.<\/p>\n “It’s not like the serious problems have gone away.”<\/p>\n “Over time, we’ve gotten a lot more clarity on the things that are bad for our health … the balance has just shifted more in favor of the evidence for negative health effects.”<\/p>\n Gowin pointed out that large-scale neuroimaging studies now consistently link higher alcohol consumption to reduced brain volume, reinforcing public health<\/a> warnings.<\/p>\n The report\u2019s author cautioned that the drop may reflect normal survey variation rather than a long-term cultural shift. (iStock)<\/p>\n Researchers also attribute shifting consumption patterns to broader societal changes, including shifts in social behavior and loneliness.<\/p>\n Much of America’s alcohol consumption has historically occurred in group settings, and changes in how people gather socially<\/a> may be influencing drinking habits, they believe.<\/p>\n TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/a><\/p>\n At the same time, experts caution that a drop in general social drinking<\/a> does not mean severe alcohol problems have dissolved.<\/p>\n “One of the things that is a bit of a contradiction … is that although the overall prevalence among all adults is down for the number of drinkers, there is actually a larger number of alcohol-related deaths in the past few years,” Gowin noted.<\/p>\n![\"Person](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/person-holding-holy-wine-praying-church.jpg\")
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