When Americans Drink Beer, They Go Domestic

Americans want something brewed on American soil when it comes to beer, and their top choice is Budweiser. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 69% of American beer drinkers choose domestic beers over imported ones. Twenty-two percent (22%) like imported beers more. They’re much more closely divided, however, when it comes to what kind of beer to drink: 49% choose a light beer, while 46% prefer a regular one. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

Given a choice, one-in-four (25%) say they are most likely to drink Budweiser. Second choice is Miller, the favorite of 19%, followed by Sam Adams, a distant third at seven percent (7%).  Coors, Heineken, Corona, Pabst and Guinness are next, in descending order, with each the favorite of between three (3%) and six percent (6%) of beer drinkers. Another 25% choose some other brand. 

Most beer drinkers (51%) are more likely to drink at home, while 38% are more likely to order a beer in a bar or restaurant. 

The survey of 345 Beer Drinkers nationwide was conducted on April 28-29, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.