> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://bevnews.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Are Catholics Responsible for the Plunge in Alcohol Use?
- URL: https://bevnews.net/are-catholics-responsible-for-the-plunge-in-alcohol-use/
- Published: 2026-10-14T13:24:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-14T13:24:36.000Z
- Author: Joel Whitaker
- Tags: Alcohol and Health

That's the question raised by a new Gallup poll, released Monday (9/13). Historically, Protestants were less likely to drink than either Catholics or those with no religious identity (nones).

But now the poll shows the use of alcoholic beverages among Catholics has plunged to 55% from 79% in 2002-2004\. In other words, the number of Catholics who today are total abstainers has risen to 45% from 79%. Among the "nones," 60% today use alcohol vs. 72% in 2002-2004\. And among Protestants, usage is unchanged – 54% today and 54% in 2002-2004.

Those who attend church weekly have seen almost no change in alcohol consumption – 44% today vs. 42$% in 2002-2004\. The biggest drop is among those who say they seldom/never attend (74% vs. 58%. And among those who say they attend near every week or no less than monthly, alcohol usage has fallen to 57% from 67% in 2002-2004.

(An aside: This is almost enough to make one wonder whether the bev/al industry should be running ads supporting weekly church attendance.)

Among the three major religious groups as measured by Gallup – Catholics, nones, and Protestants, 52% of Catholics now say moderate consumption is unhealthy vs. 21% in 2005-2004\. The Nones have seen the biggest increase --56% now vs. 17% in 2005-2006\. And among Protestants, 48\\% now vs. 17% in 2005-2006.

That's also true regardless of whether one attends weekly (55% vs. 34%); Nearly weekly/monthly (53%vs. 26%) or seldom/never attend, (51$% vs. 29%).

Why the drop? "Views that drinking is harmful have risen significantly across religious groups and across segments defined by their religiosity," Gallup says.

As we have seen, Catholics and nones are largely responsible for the drop in alcohol use. At the same time, nones and Catholics are now more likely than in the past to say that moderate drinking is harmful to health, even more so than among Protestants. Nones and Catholics appear to have “gotten religion” when it comes to drinking. Similarly, those who are less frequent church attendees — those whose alcohol use has dropped proportionally the most — are also now more likely to say alcohol is harmful.

Frank Newport of Gallup says, "Perceptions that moderate drinking is harmful have risen broadly across religious groups, whether defined by religious identity or church attendance. This shift in attitudes, particularly among the large group of those historically less religious but historically most likely to drink, is plausibly one factor related to the overall decline in Americans’ drinking."

So there you have it: Catholics and "Nones" have decreased their moderate drinking dramatically, but apparently not because of a religious conviction but rather the constant repetition by public health officials echoed by the media that moderate alcohol consumption is unhealthy.