Background

The Healthy Ireland Survey is an annual survey designed to increase knowledge of the population’s health and health behaviours.1 It is commissioned by the Department of Health, carried out by Ipsos B&A, and conducted with a representative sample of the general population aged 15 years and over. For the 2024 Survey, telephone interviews took place between October 2023 and April 2024 with 7,398 respondents. Questions about alcohol use are routinely asked in each wave of the survey. In addition to these questions, the survey explores general health, tobacco use, mental health, use of general practitioner (GP) and other health services, COVID-19 and long COVID, physical activity, weight management, caring responsibilities, and sleep. 

Figure 1: Percentage of respondents who consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months, by sex and age