In the 2025 film Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy the much-loved lead character is still portrayed as a wine drinker, as she was in the original Bridget Jones’s Diary book of 1996 and the 2001 film. Back then her liking was for chardonnay, usually in a large glass. Now her consumption is more moderate, a reflection of changing times.
The 1990s was the high-point for wine drinking in Britain, as TGI data held within AMSR reveal. The peak year was 1992, when 71% of adults were wine drinkers. Even by 2007 the level was still 65%. But in the following 15 years, the numbers consuming wine halved, dropping to 33% by 2022:
Source: Kantar Media TGI
These changes in consumption – whether prompted by lifestyle differences, health messages or other factors – haven’t occurred evenly across population groups. Looking at the data by age band shows a huge drop among 18-34 year-olds: from 68% in 1992 to just 18%. By contrast, those aged 55+ have been far more likely to retain the habit: 45% were still wine drinkers in 2022. Older adults were the group least likely to be wine drinkers in 1992; now they are the most likely.
Source: Kantar Media TGI
When we first met Bridget she was a 32-year-old, and around 70% of her peers shared her taste for wine. Today she’s in her fifties, and still part of the age cohort most likely to raise a wine glass.
Continuous survey data held within AMSR, such as from TGI, can shed light on trends in consumer attitudes, product purchasing and brand popularity.
Source:
TGI (Target Group Index) is a continuous survey which has been carried out in Great Britain since 1969, based on 25,000 adults per annum, who provide information on their use of all major products, brands and services. Media exposure, attitudinal and demographic data are also included. Kantar, who own and operate TGI, have made major donations of data to AMSR. To explore the TGI archive within AMSR, click here: Target Group Index – The AMSR Online Archive (oclc.org)
Contributed by Geoff Wicken
Date posted: 24th February 2025.