In partnership with Bristol City Council (BCC), researchers from the University's Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group (TARG) recruited 14 pubs and bars across the city that were willing to change the drinks that they offered on draught for a limited period. Previous research by the same group, using an online experiment as a proxy for real-world behaviour, showed that increasing the proportion of alcohol-free options make people more likely to select an alcohol-free drink over an alcoholic drink. 

In the current study, the participating pubs and bars offered only alcoholic beer on draught for two weeks, and an alcohol-free option on draught for two weeks, and did this twice (over eight weeks in total). The order in which this happened was randomised. The researchers measured the amount of alcoholic and alcohol-free beer sold, as well as the total monetary takings, across the different periods. 

The researchers found that when an alcohol-free option was available the pubs and bars sold, on average, 29 litres less of alcoholic beer per week, equivalent to 51 pints and a five per cent reduction in sales. However, this was replaced by an equivalent increase in sales of alcohol-free beer, suggesting customers were simply selecting a different option. Importantly, there was no net impact on overall monetary takings, suggesting that the change wasn’t hurting the financial bottom line of the participating pubs and bars. 

Even small changes in drinking behaviour could have an important public health benefit. 

Read the full University of Bristol news item

‘The impact of introducing alcohol-free beer options in bars and public houses on alcohol sales and revenue: a randomised crossover field trial’ by Olivia Maynard, Angela Attwood and Marcus Munafò et al. in Addiction