The Future of Going Out May Look Nothing Like Happy Hour as the Great Moderation Reshapes Social Life
.jpg "Why more Gen Z adults are drinking less and rethinking a night out.")
The bar tab is shrinking. The gym membership is not. A new Bank of America Institute report captures a generational rewrite of how young Americans spend their money, their weekends and their attention, and it explains why gen z drinking less has become one of the most consequential consumer trends of the decade. What replaces the bar stool matters for nightlife operators, fitness brands, dating apps and anyone trying to build a business around how twentysomethings socialize.
How the great moderation is reshaping young Americans’ spending
Bank of America economists analyzed aggregate credit and debit card activity from 70 million consumer and small-business accounts. The pattern was hard to miss. Gen Z spending on fitness categories grew by roughly 9%, while spending at bars grew by less than 4%. Purchases at liquor, wine and beer stores are sliding outright.
“Younger Americans are really driving this movement that we’re calling ‘The Great Moderation,’” Joe Wadford, an economist at the Bank of America Institute, told USA TODAY.
The institute’s report notes that people are “simply choosing to drink less, especially at home,” with liquor store spending falling even as bar spending keeps climbing. Wadford has a theory about why. “People can go out and they can socialize and they can enjoy that atmosphere, but they can choose not to drink,” he said.
Why sober socializing is filling the space bars used to hold
The label “Dry Generation” is starting to stick, but it undersells what is happening. Sober socializing has moved from a January experiment into a year-round preference, and bars are adapting with expanded mocktail menus, non-alcoholic beers and activity nights.
An IARD survey found that 87% of Americans age 21 and older still plan to drink this summer. What has changed is intention. For the first time, moderation has edged out taste as the top consideration when people drink, at 35% versus 33%.
“They’re looking for drinking to fit their lifestyle rather than the other way around, and they’re pioneering different ways of drinking,” Julian Braithwaite, CEO of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, told Spectrum News.
Why run clubs became gen z’s new dating scene
If bars are losing ground, running is gaining it. Strava data shows club participation surging over the past two years. Research by LADbible Group found that 72% of gen z runners say they joined a club specifically to meet new people. Many describe run clubs as a replacement for dating apps because the interaction feels more direct and less performative.
Oxford researcher Arran Davis, who studies social connection and health, told the BBC that group activity taps into what psychologists call “sharing intention,” a mental state where people naturally track what others are thinking. Collaborative activities like team sports make exercise feel easier and build relationships in the process.
Fitness coach Tom Trotter, writing for Vogue, argued that running strips away the performance of a night out. “You’re being as real as possible,” he said. “You never want to build a relationship on an artificial foundation.”
What it means for nightlife, fitness and dating
Going out is expensive. Most run clubs are free. Nightlife is declining in city after city while fitness-centered social spaces keep expanding. For gen z and younger millennials, the shift is not really about giving up alcohol. It is about building a social life on ground that feels healthier, cheaper and more authentic than the one their older siblings inherited.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
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