Are gen Z ‘binge drinking’ more than millennials?

We often hear that your generation, gen Z, are turning their back on alcohol and drinking less than previous generations. But according to new findings from Child of the New Century, almost a third of you were regularly ‘binge drinking’ in your early 20s – a slight increase compared to the rates of binge drinking among millennials when they had been a similar age.  

What we asked you  

In the Age 23 Survey, we asked you about your drinking habits, drug use, smoking and gambling. We had also asked you about these things at age 17, so researchers were able to compare your answers to see what had changed.  

Support and advice

If you are affected by any of the issues in this research, there are organisations that can help  

Drugs and alcohol
Talk to Frank: talktofrank.com or call 0300 123 6600 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

Gambling 
GamCare: gamcare.org.uk or call 0808 8020 133

Whatever you’re going through
Samaritans: call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

Alcohol consumption 

At age 23, one in five of you said you never drank alcohol but around seven in 10 (68%) reported binge drinking – having six or more drinks in one sitting – at least once in the past year.  

Researchers from UCL found that rates of frequent binge drinking (doing it at least once a month) had tripled among your generation since you were 17.  

Using information collected in a study similar to Child of the New Century, following the lives of a group of millennials, the researchers looked at whether drinking habits had changed across the generations. They found that your generation were a little more likely to binge drink on a regular basis at age 23 than the millennials had been when they were 25 (29% compared to 25%).  

Drugs use and smoking  

The researchers also looked at your generation’s experience with drugs. At age 23, nearly half of you (49%) said you had tried cannabis compared to just under a third (31%) at age 17. Experience with harder drugs, such as cocaine, ketamine, and ecstasy, had tripled. When we asked you about this at age 17, one in 10 of you had said you’d tried harder drugs. By age 23, this had increased to three in 10.  

Those who reported vaping daily increased from 3% to 19% between ages 17 and 23. In contrast, rates of cigarette smoking stayed around the same, with 8% of you smoking every day at age 17 and 9% at age 23.  

How do habits vary?  

Substance use and addictive behaviours were more common among male study members than female study members. Male study members reported higher rates of frequent binge drinking (31% v 27%), frequent cannabis use (16% v 9%) and frequent use of harder drugs (10% v 6%). They were also much more likely to experience gambling problems, with 7% reporting this compared to 1% of female study members.  

Frequent binge drinking was more common among those of you who had been to university. But smoking, vaping and gambling problems were more common among those of you who hadn’t.  

Why this research matters 

Lead author, Dr Aase Villadsen (UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies) said:  

“Substance use and potentially addictive behaviours like gambling can be harmful and impact individuals’ health, relationships, and educational and employment prospects.  

“Although late adolescence and early adulthood is a time when young people tend to experiment, increased binge drinking and drug use does give cause for concern, especially if these behaviours become more ingrained during their 20s. 

“Our findings highlight the need for sustained policy attention to substance use and addictive behaviours in young adults. The sharp rise in many behaviours between adolescence and early adulthood shows how risks intensify during this stage of life. Policy interventions, education and advice should be aimed at the most at-risk groups, such as young males, who are around seven times more likely to report having gambling difficulties than females, and are more likely to use harder drugs.” 

Read the full research report 

Substance use and addictive behaviours – Initial findings from the Millennium Cohort Study at Age 23 by Aase Villadsen and Emla Fitzsimons was published by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies in March 2026. 

In the media 

You might have seen news reports about these findings, including in the Guardian. Child of the New Century is also known as the Millennium Cohort Study – so remember, if you see the Millennium Cohort Study mentioned in the media, they are talking about the study you are part of!  

These findings also appeared in the Independent, and the Sun.