Drinking during the credit crunch: what Bournemouth has to say

By Linh Dao and Vicky Meadows

The British Beer and Pub Association reported a slump in beer sales of approximately 1.8 million pints a day.
So have the government awareness campaigns been effective in making people drink less? Or are we simply drinking less beer and turning to cheaper types of alcohol due to the credit crunch?

A random sample of 10 people on the streets of Bournemouth is asked to give opinions on what is responsible for the decline in beer sales.

Sociology student Amy Bryant, 20 from Norton Road, Winton blamed the credit crunch. She said students have to start saving for necessities and cannot afford expensive alcohol.

Amy Bryant


Ms Holland, from Boscombe, said “It’s definitely a money issue”. She only drinks once a year but said that when she does, it’s from cheap supermarkets.


“The credit crunch has nothing to do with this”- said Perkins David, a retired councillor from Parley Road, Winton. He said the Government’s actions to cut down on youth drinking culture were really helpful.

Perkins David

Dave, a 24-year-old student from Lansdowne said: “Just because beer sales are down, doesn’t mean people are drinking less. They just buy booze that’s cheaper than beer” .


Lewis, who works in the Old Fire Station - a popular student pub - shared Dave’s view. He said: “I go out less because I can’t afford beer, not because I think I should drink less.”


An unemployed chap from Elgin Road, Winton commented, “The government hasn’t really done anything has it?” Jeremy Canning said that finding a job was already hard, let alone affording binge drinking.

Jeremy Canning, unemployed


Regular drinker Alix Traynor from Boscombe believes that it’s the price of beer that puts people off, claiming; “I buy cheap spirits in the supermarket. Gets you wrecked, don’t it?”


Nani Leung, a non-drinker from Knole Road, Boscombe, attributed the sales slump to the credit crunch. The 30-year-old carer said the fall also affects other commodities, not just alcohol.

Nani Leung, non-drinker

Paula Castano, a student from Christchurch Road, Lansdowne, solely blames the increased tax on beer for the lack of sales. “It’s too expensive” she said.

Whilst most people appeared to blame the current financial climate for the falling beer sales, Gerard Howell, a lawyer from London believed the government’s measures have had just as much impact. “Government alone can’t stop people from drinking, there’s got to be a real squeeze from the credit crunch.”

Gerard Howell