Survey: staying in is the new going out

Younger drinkers continued to move away form the on-trade in 2010 and increasingly look to replicate attitudes towards spending at home, according to a new survey from Mintel.

Mintel found the proportion of "penetration" of 18-24 year-olds in the on-trade fell 6.4 percentage points to 56% in 2010 compared to 2009. In-home drinking also declined over the period, but by a smaller proportion, from 75.4% to 71.9%.

The survey also finds that when the younger age group are willing to spend more when they are drinking at home. Overall, the average amount that wine drinkers spent on a bottle of wine was £6.01. However, for 18-24 year-olds, the figure was £8.35.

Jonny Forsyth, senior drinks analyst at Mintel, said: "Younger drinkers are changing. While pre-recession it was all about drinking out of home and the austerity of the recession forced them back indoors to make savings - post-recession, younger drinkers are taking the going out attitude into the home.

"This means they are hosting celebrations and events in home - and splashing out on higher end alcohol. Attitudes have shifted as they have been having more big nights at home, initially because they were forced to due to economic pressures - but now they have found that it has its advantages over going out.

"It appears, that for younger consumers, staying in really is the new going out."

Mintel said the home drinking market has grown 20% since 2006, although it has fallen in value by 0.5% due to the prevalence of cheap drinks deals.

Almost eight in 10 Almost (79%) of consumers have drunk alcohol in the home in the last six months. Price remains the over-riding reason for home-drinking, with 76% agreeing that "it is cheaper to drink at home".

However, 35% cite the fact it's less hassle than travelling to a bar, that they dislike crowded bars (30%) and that it is more intimate to drink at home (27%) as important drivers.

While half (45%) of consumers disagree that they drink more at home than they do when they are out, around the same number (43%) disagree that they drink stronger drinks at home then they would when out. Some 28% say they tend to mix their drink less when at home.