The More Money We Make, the More We Drink

Some 67% of us drink
By Caroline Miller,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 2, 2010 7:33 AM CDT
The More Money We Make, the More We Drink
In this photo taken June 28, 2010, Constellation Brands' St. Pauli Girl and Corona Light beers are stacked at a grocery store in Palo Alto, Calif.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

The US drinking rate inched up a few points in this year's Gallup survey of alcohol consumption, to a 25-year-high of 67%. It's fluctuated between 55% (1958) and 71% (1971) since Gallup has been monitoring it. More surprising is that college graduates are more likely to drink (71%) than those who didn't get beyond high school (58%). Sort by income and it the divide is sharper: 81% of those who bring home $75,000 or more say imbibe, compared to just 46% of those who make less than $20,000.

Atheists are more likely to drink than regular church-goers, Gallup notes, and beer is still the most popular poison.
(More alcohol stories.)

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