The kids don’t like it

Much attention has been focused on the fact that a) less people in Japan are drinking alcohol, b) younger people are most likely to not drink, and c) when younger people do drink, they don’t choose sake. 

PR Times reports on the results of a survey carried out at the end of June 2024, which asked 200 men and women in their 20s and 30s in several cities and prefectures about their perceptions of sake. The article opens as many do by citing the fact that demand for sake peaked in 1973 and has declined ever since, adding that the decline has accelerated since 2000 except for exports and luxury goods. 

Questions included interest in sake as a form of traditional Japanese craftsmanship, interest in “beauty drinks”, reasons for drinking, what they look for in terms of flavour, why they don’t buy sake, how they are influenced by display placement and if they are influenced by celebrities.

Respondents were asked to select one of the following as their most common reason for drinking (percentage of total replies in brackets where given in original article):

• To relax (62.5%)
• For a special day (7%)
• To get to sleep
• To communicate with friends (18.5%)
• To communicate with co-workers (5.0%)
• Other (4.5%)

There were significant differences between people in their 20s and 30s, with the younger group more likely to drink with friends (23.0%) than the older (14.0%), and the older group more likely to drink to relax (71.0%) than the younger (54.0%).

The survey also asked what people look for in their drinks in terms of flavour and other attributes. Respondents were asked to pick one of the answers below (percentage of total replies in brackets where given in original article):

• Sweetness (12.0%)
• Dryness (5.5%)
• Bitterness 
• Acidity
• Astringency
• Fruitiness (19.0%)
• Short finish (17.5%)
• Excitement (34.5%)
• Smoothness (5.5%)
• Other

Answers to this question showed a split along gender lines rather than by age: men in their 30s favoured a crisp short finish (30.0%) but women of the same age did not (8.0%). Instead women in their 30s went for fruitiness (32.0%) which left men of the same age group indifferent (8.0%).

The next question asked respondents why they don’t buy sake, and they were again asked to choose one of the following options (percentage of total replies in brackets where given in original article):

• Flavour (61.0%)
• Appearance 
• Quantity (4.0%)
• Price (18.5%)
• Placement in displays
• Image (8.0%)
• Other (6.0%)

Respondents were also asked how they would feel about buying sake if it was placed in a display in the position of their regular drink. (1 response, percentage of total replies in brackets where given in original article):

• Really want to buy (4.0%)
• Want to buy (17.0)
• Neither (40.0%)
• Don’t want to buy (21.0%)
• Really don’t want to buy (18.0)

So placement doesn’t seem to have much effect on inducing people to buy sake, although men in their 30s (30%) were a little more easily swayed than average.

Finally, the survey asked about celebrity influence – would they want to buy sake if their favourite celebrity, YouTuber, influencer, etc. was doing so? (1 response, percentage of total replies in brackets where given in original article):

• Really want to buy (5.5%)
• Want to buy (19.0)
• Neither (35.0%)
• Don’t want to buy (19.5%)
• Really don’t want to buy (21.0)

Negative responses were more common from both men and women in their 30s, suggesting they are less open to celebrity influence. Don’t want to buy/Really don’t want to buy was chosen by 48% of women in their 30s, and 44% of men in their 30s. Responses from men in their 20s were also predominantly neutral (50% replied “Neither”) or negative (32%), and slightly less so for women in their 20s (34% replied “Neither”, 38% gave a negative response).

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Nothing particularly new here, although the lack of influencer influence was interesting (particularly as promoters still seem to pushing for it in some cases), as was the high proportion of people saying they don’t buy sake because of the price, when sake is widely seen as being under-priced relative to its cost of production. Some producers already seem aware of quantity as a potential issue, with more sake in 180 ml cans or even small pouches.

若者が日本酒を購入しない一番の理由は「味」～若者と日本酒に関するアンケート調査～ (PR Times, 26 July 2024, Japanese)