Health warnings on alcoholic drinks will receive only a “lukewarm reception, with men in particular considering them a “waste of time,” new Mintel research reveals.
The Government is planning to force all alcoholic drinks to carry health warnings by the end of the year in a bid to tackle Britain's binge drinking culture.
The research, a snapshot of 961 internet users aged 18 and above, found only two in five (40%) of men think health warnings are a good idea. This compares with half (49%) of women.
Meanwhile, 36% of women believe that these labels will make them think about how much they drink, falling to just 30% amongst men.
"While recent press coverage has seen women come under attack for binge drinking, they are clearly more open to these new proposed labels," Mathilde Dudouitm, Mintel senior research analyst said.
"For women at least, this new initiative could well be a step in the right direction to combat excessive drinking. However, men clearly are much more set in their ways when it comes to what they drink, and it will be harder to convince them to change their habits."
Unit information
However, the research found that two in five men (44%) would find it useful to know the number of units they are getting through, compared to over half of women (53%).
"The trend towards stronger drinks and larger glasses means that Brits can often no longer be sure how many units they are drinking.
"Without clear information, many people will be unaware whether they are exceeding their weekly alcohol intake, or whether they are still within the safe drink drive limits after an evening out," Mathlide said.
The alcoholic drinks industry is worth £41 billion. Last year Brits drank 7.7 billion litres of alcohol - 244 litres per second.
And while there are those who are cutting back on alcohol as part of a healthier lifestyle, the amount we drink as a nation has stayed the same over the past five years, showing that those who drink, are drinking more, the research found.
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