Alcohol consumption patterns and association with educational attainment in Europe: an analysis of the 2023-24 European Social Survey

Background Alcohol consumption is a risk factor to several non-communicable diseases, posing a threat to vulnerable populations. This study aims to analyse the association between alcohol consumption patterns and educational attainment across Europe. Methods a cross-sectional study was conducted using pooled data from the European Social Survey 2023–2024 Round 11, which included individual data from 33,987 respondents aged between 25 and 74 years from 27 European countries. Alcohol consumption was assessed using self-reported frequency and quantity of consumption, using standardised questions to assess consumption patterns and alcohol quantities. Our main outcome was frequency of alcohol consumption. A mixed ordinal logistic regression model assessed associations between sex, age, educational attainment, and alcohol consumption. Results The highest percentages of frequent drinkers were found in Western Europe (28.0%) and the lowest in Eastern Europe (14.5%), whereas moderate drinking was most common in Northern Europe (52.5%) and lowest in Eastern Europe (28.9%). The regression model indicated that female gender was positively associated with alcohol consumption (adjOR = 2.05, p < 0.001). Primary education was found to be a risk factor compared to tertiary education (adjOR = 1.31, p = 0.022). Early adulthood age groups (25–34 and 35–44) presented a positive association compared to the 65–74 group (adjOR = 1.44, p = 0.003 and adjOR = 1.33, p = 0.001, respectively). Conclusions Being female and having lower educational attainment were associated with increased alcohol consumption. The differences in consumption patterns may, in part, reflect the heterogeneity of alcohol policy frameworks across European countries, including variations in taxation, availability restrictions, marketing regulations, and enforcement strategies. Together, these findings highlight that age-specific drinking patterns reflect a combination of socialisation, cultural normalisation, and health-related transitions across the life course.