Roy Morgan Research says soft drink makers may need to tweak their advertising strategies to suit an older crowd as soft drinks lose ground among younger Aussies.
Over the past five years, soft drinks have seen a sharp decline of nine percentage points in the under 35s, according to the research firm.
The number of Australians aged 14-25 and 25-34 who consume soft drink in a seven-day period now sits at 56 per cent and 57 per cent respectively, down from 65 per cent and 66 per cent.
Middle-aged Australians aged 35-49 have taken over as the group most likely to have soft drink in an average week. Consumption also declined in this age group, but only by three percentage points to 58 per cent.
According to Roy Morgan Research, soft drink remains least popular among those aged over 50, with the weekly consumption rate now at 40 per cent, down from 44 per cent.
Overall, just 50 per cent of Australians 14+ now consume soft drink in a seven-day period, down from 56 per cent in 2009.
Younger soft drink consumers are also drinking less soft drink. The average weekly intake declined by 1.2 to 5.5 glasses among consumers under 25, and by 0.6 to 6.3 glasses among 25-34 year-olds.
When combined with the decline in overall consumption rates, this equates to around five million fewer glasses of soft drink being drunk per week by Aussies under 35, according to the research firm.
Weekly intake, however, rose slightly among the older groups. 35-49 year old consumers now drink an average of seven glasses per week (up 0.1) with those over 50+ drinking 6.1 (up 0.2).
Overall weekly intake declined from 6.6 glasses to 6.3.
“As Australians become increasingly health conscious, we are seeing the number of soft drink consumers decrease. However, soft drink consumption behaviours differ among age groups. Those under 35 are more likely now to drink none or less, while heavier consumption appears to be entrenched among those over 35,” said Angela Smith, group account manager, consumer products, Roy Morgan Research.
“As the number of young Australians who drink soft drink continues to drop, soft drink distributors and marketers will need to gain a better understanding of their new target market in order to stay competitive.”
