Great British Beer Festival: CAMRA research reveals young adults priced out of pub

The figures are released on the day CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) or the ‘World’s Biggest Pub’ opens in London’s Olympia.

The poll of 1,000 adults aged between 18-65 also revealed that in the last 12 months, 39% of all pub goers have visited the pub less than they did a year ago, or haven’t gone at all.

And more than one in two regular pub goers prefer to drink at home than the pub because it is cheaper.

Mike Benner, CAMRA chief executive, said: “Hard working publicans have been hammered by the Government in recent times, and what we’ve seen in the past seven years is that young adults in particular have been priced out of an affordable night down their local pub.

“The Government have encouraged people to use their pubs as community assets, yet this is a hollow message when punitive increases on the price of a pint have meant that consumers are deterred from visiting their local, causing beer sales figures in this country to fall flat.”

However, the consumer organisation claims that central to reversing this decline is real ale.

Evidence from the survey said that in four years the percentage of 18-24 year olds having tried real ale has more than doubled - from 30% in 2008, to 46% in the present day.

In the same period the percentage of women trying real ale has increased - from 16% in 2008, to 32% in 2012.

Benner said: “Our research shows that 38% of young real ale drinking adults agree they go for a pint of Britain’s national drink because they want to support local businesses. This is a key indicator that the nation’s new generation of real ale drinkers are desiring quality, local products, a vital trend which offers much hope to getting more young people back into pubs and reversing this decline.”
Table of other age groups showing the percentage of pubgoers visiting the pub once a week or more (CAMRA/TNS Tracking Survey, July 2005, and June 2012)

-25-34 years olds
2005- 30%, 2012- 16%
-35-44 year olds
2005- 20%, 2012- 12%
-45-54 year olds
2005- 27%, 2012- 18%
-55-64 year olds
2005- 27%, 2012- 19%
-65+ year olds
2005- 14%, 2012- 18%