Technical Paper 3:
Preventing Alcohol-related harm in Australia: a window of opportunity
2.3 - Product preferences
The most preferred types of alcoholic beverages among Australian female drinkers, in descending order, are bottled wine, bottled spirits and liqueurs, ready-to-drink beverages (RTDs) in a bottle and RTDs in a can. Over the 2001 to 2007 period, the preference for bottled wine had the greatest increase among females, growing from 57.3% to 63.8%. Among males, the most preferred types of alcoholic beverages, in descending order, are full-strength beer, bottled wine, bottled spirits and liqueurs, and RTDs in a can. Over the 2001 to 2007 period, the preference for RTDs in a can had the greatest increase among males, growing from 18.2% to 24.3% (see Figs. 9 and 10).
Figure 9: Preference for selected alcoholic beverages by year, proportion of the male population, Australia, 2001 to 2007
Source: AIHW[15]
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Figure 10: Preference for selected alcoholic beverages by year, proportion of the female population, Australia, 2001 to 2007
Source: AIHW[15]
With regard to which types of alcoholic beverages are most commonly involved in the harmful consumption of alcohol, Stockwell et al. have estimated[16] that straight spirits (79.7%), alcoholic cider (78.9%), pre-mixed spirits (71.8%) and regular strength beer (72.6%) are the top four types of beverages consumed by Australian drinkers on days when they drank at risky/high-risk levels. Among 12- to 17-year-olds, the top three types of beverages are straight spirits (98.9%), regular beer (78.9%) and RTDs (76.7%). Spirit-based beverages held the highest market share, representing 62.7% of total alcohol consumption among this age group, with slightly more consumed as straight spirits than as RTDs.