You might not think that you have a whole lot in common with Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the U.S.
But when it comes to wine, his sentiment towards it (highlighted in his quote above) suddenly makes him much more relatable.
Wine drinking was—and is—something that people seem to love universally. How do we know it’s popular? We uncorked people’s opinions about wine by asking 528 adults about the alcohol on SurveyMonkey Audience.
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The majority of adults drink wine—often.
Roughly 75% of adults drink wine. And those who drink often do so routinely. Nearly half of adults (44%) drink at least a couple of glasses per week—a number that grows to 53% for adults 60+ and 51% for 30-44 year olds.
Why is wine so popular? Primarily because of its taste and how it makes you feel:
When we explored what respondents like about wine in more detail, we uncovered 3 common themes:
1. It’s healthy (or at least people think it is).
Research has often focused on the health benefits of wine, and how it’s better for you than other types of alcohol. The public seems to agree.
Slightly more than 2 in every 5 people (42%) consider wine to be healthy, and the majority of other folks (48%) think it’s neither healthy nor unhealthy.
The numbers drastically improved when we asked respondents to weigh its healthiness against beer—in which case, 66% consider wine the healthier option!
And when we asked how much wine someone has to drink for it to become unhealthy, respondents offered wine drinkers a lot of leeway.
About 73% of respondents said that someone would have to drink several glasses of wine per day for it to become a health issue. Older adults (60 years and older) are particularly generous, as 83% of them believe this is true.
Related: A study on our biggest pet peeves
2. It’s affordable.
Wine can be as expensive as you want it to be—from Trader Joe’s infamous “Two-Buck Chuck” to auction house wines that sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
When we asked respondents how much they’d be willing to spend on a bottle of wine, only 3% said they’d pay $100 or more. And just 7% are willing to drop anywhere from $50 to $99.
Surprisingly, interest in fancier wines barely changes as people get older or earn more money. Just 7% of those 45 years and older would spend $50 or more on a bottle, and only 13% of those earning a household income of $100k or higher would spend $50 or more.
Related: A look at our biggest pet peeves
3. It’s associated with desirable traits.
Who wouldn’t want to seem relaxed, fancy, health-conscious, and fun—all at once? Turns out, drinking wine can give people the reputation they’re looking for.
The top adjectives that come to mind for wine drinkers are relaxed (59%), sophisticated (38%), outgoing (25%), and health-conscious (18%).
In one instance, a respondent said:
“Wine drinkers are fancy, conscientious, and smart. They know a lot about wine and are able to enjoy it by using their sophisticated taste palates.”
Clearly, there’s a lot to celebrate about wine, so pour yourself a nice glass of zinfandel. Cheers!
