Quebecers and alcohol

This article presents the results of the 2007 “Quebecers and Alcohol” survey.

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Drinking habits

Toast
  • Not counting the new category “other alcoholic beverages” (cooler, cider, port, etc.), added in 2007, at least eight in ten Quebecers (82%) over the age of 15 drink alcohol: 25% drink more than once a week, 21% drink about once a week and 36% drink occasionally; 18% do not drink at all.
  • Including the new category, the percentage of drinkers is essentially the same (83%) and breaks down as follows: 26% drink more than once a week, 21% drink about once a week and 36% drink occasionally; 17% do not drink at all.
  • The breakdown by category of alcohol is as follows: 73% drink wine; 64% drink beer; 48% drink hard liquor (spirits) and 39% drink other types of alcohol.
  • As was the case in 2002, wine is still the alcoholic beverage consumed most regularly. In the 1990s, beer topped the list. These days, more than one-third of French speakers over 18 (35%) drink wine once a week or more, a considerable increase since 1991 (13%).
  • On average, Quebecers have 4.1 drinks a week.
  • In the last twelve months, half of all Quebecers (50%) had five drinks or more on a single occasion at least once. A quarter of the population (25%) had eight drinks or more at least once.
  • In the last year, people drank most frequently at home (60%) and at the homes of friends or relatives (17%).
  • The most common occasions for drinking were to celebrate a happy event (94%), restaurant dining (78%) or dining at home (77%).
  • In the last twelve months, less than one in ten drinkers (8%) felt that drinking was having a negative effect on their health.
  • Nearly half (45%) of all Quebecers believe that drinking in Quebec is stable; 39% think it is on the rise and only 6% think it is declining.

Opinions and attitudes

  • About seven out of ten respondents (69%) think that Quebecers are more aware about drinking moderately than they were five years ago. Note that 76% of them thought so five years ago. People tend to attribute the greater awareness to media coverage and advertising about moderation (58%).
  • As in previous surveys, nine out of ten people agree that it’s fine to drink at a party among friends (91%), to celebrate a happy occasion (90%) or when having a meal at home (87%). Fewer people agree that it is acceptable to drink to overcome shyness in public (21%) or to forget about problems (9%).
  • About seven in ten respondents agree with the following statements: “A cigarette is more harmful than a glass of alcohol” (72%), “Alcohol is a drug” (67%) and “Moderate drinking is good for one’s health” (66%).
  • Only 41% (compared to 53% in 2002) know that a standard serving of beer, wine and spirits each contains the same amount of alcohol.
  • Quebecers believe that the definition of moderate drinking is an average of 2.5 drinks on a single occasion.
  • Most Quebecers (52%) believe that occasional drinking during pregnancy will cause little (40%) or no (12%) harm to the health of the foetus.
  • A full 92% of those surveyed think that parents bear the primary responsibility for educating their children about drinking.
  • Respondents believe that the main problems related to abusive drinking are as follows: health problems (28%), alcoholism/addiction (22%), family difficulties (22%), road accidents (16%), financial problems (16%) friendship and other social difficulties (16%).
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