Minimum unit pricing (MUP) is a policy action intended to reduce harmful consumption of alcohol by putting in place a floor on the price sellers can charge. Scotland was the first country to announce its intention to adopt MUP (in 2012) which enacted in 2018 despite industry opposition. The introduction of the policy has been shown to substantially alter alcohol consumption in Scotland and is being actively considered by other devolved nations in the UK as a means of addressing the public health problems presented by alcohol.
What have we found?
Duyen et al 2024 examined patterns of alcohol consumption in Scotland before and after the announcement and adoption of MUP using data on drinking behaviours from a series of nationally representative survey samples between 2008 and 2021. The analysis also compared patterns of consumption in Scotland versus England and Northern Ireland where MUP was not adopted. Overall, the study found the policy was associated with a downward shift in drinking including an increase in abstinence and a decline in the average amount of alcohol consumed among those aged 16 years and over. A summary of key findings is presented below.
- A decline in amount of alcohol consumed: From 2008 to 2021, Scotland witnessed a gradual and continuous decline in the alcohol consumption per capita, that accelerated when MUP was announced in 2012 and again when it was enacted in 2018. Compared to consumption before MUP was introduced, weekly consumption dropped from 11.9 alcohol units per person per week to 10.4 units (during 2013-2017) and further reached 9.8 units (in 2018-2021). This is equivalent to the decline from an average of 6.2 litres of alcohol per person per year during 2008-2012 to 5.4 litres (in 2013-2017) and 5.1 litres (in 2018-2021). Noteworthy that these figures were self-reported consumption and averaged for the whole adult population (including those who never drink) – hence the actual consumption for those who drank might be much bigger!
- A shift from heavy to moderate drinking: Not only did average consumption fall but patterns of drinking also changed indicating that the reduction was not confined to one particular group. The percentage of “heavy drinkers” declined by about 12% after the introduction of MUP. This decline was accompanied by a slight increase in moderate drinking, suggesting a general shift toward less hazardous drinking patterns.
- An increase in abstinence: The rate of abstinence (people who never drank or drank only on special occasions e.g. Christmas…) in Scotland increased by 2.3% percentage points compared to England after the introduction of MUP in 2012. This impact continued with the MUP policy contributing about a 2.6% further decline after the enactment in 2018.
Policy insights
The study reinforces evidence that the policy of MUP tends to exert a significant positive effect on harmful alcohol consumption in Scotland both in terms of the reduction in the proportion of adults who drink and the amount of drink that is consumed. It is important to note that the impact of MUP began when the policy was announced, benefits continued to emerge while the opposition of industry to its enactment was overcome. The impact was boosted by subsequent policy actions by the Scottish government that revolved around alcohol price affordability at that time – first, there was a ban on the promotion of multiple-buying in late 2011 and just a half year later, there was the announcement of the MUP policy. These coordinated policy efforts by the Scottish government demonstrated a clear commitment to changing drinking behaviours.
Written by Dr Duyen Nguyen, Research Fellow, Queen’s University Belfast.
All IAS Blogposts are published with the permission of the author. The views expressed are solely the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Institute of Alcohol Studies.