Are soft drinks fizzling out?
Is increased awareness of the dangers of sugar shifting attitudes and behaviour?
Since the introduction of the sugar tax in the UK last year, you may have noticed some changes to your favourite drinks. Smaller, pricier, less available — all part of the Government’s efforts to get you healthier.
But, how have attitudes to fizzy drinks changed — if they have at all! — and are consumers shying away from full-sugar options in favour of the ‘sugar-free’ alternatives?
We took to our hive, and over 1,300 of our British bees — or users — shared their thoughts with us.
Fizz is favourite
Fizzy drinks are by far the nation’s favourite soft drink — 80% say they buy this product ahead of fruit juice (71%), bottled water (70%), and cordial (56%).
It may be the current top dog, but it’s also what Brits are cutting down on the most. Almost half — 46% — of our bees are buying less fizzy drinks than they used to — far more than any other soft drink.
Have fizzy drinks become the ultimate guilty pleasure of the soft drink world as health becomes a higher priority?
Well, the amount of sugar in these drinks is driving almost half the decline with general health concerns also strongly motivating purchase decisions — 47% and 44% respectively.
So, is this a (rare) win for the Government?
The main aim of the 2018 sugar tax was to reduce the public’s sugar intake, but is this actually what’s causing the change to consumers’ drinking habits?
While the majority of the population have at least some knowledge of the tax, the level of knowledge doesn’t seem to influence the amount — or why — people are cutting back.
Interestingly, our bees are generally in favour of the tax, but the more people know about it, the less likely they are to think positively about it — the more likely they are to think negatively about it.
As saving money is only the third biggest motivator, it really is about what they’re putting into their bodies, not what’s coming out of the bank.
Sweet substitutes?
So, if our bees are cutting back on fizzy drinks due to the amount of sugar in them — are they just choosing ‘diet’ versions instead?
Well, people don’t think artificial sweeteners are any better than sugar — in fact they think it’s worse for us. They’re almost as concerned with the amount of sweeteners in fizzy drinks than the amount of sugar in them — 76% and 80% respectively.
It comes down to how ‘natural’ the product is — showing artificial ingredients to modern day consumers is like waving a red flag to a bull. To put it simply — they don’t like them, and they don’t trust them.
“We know the results of too much sugar but it is a natural product. Sweeteners are chemical and there doesn’t seem to be much published outlining the results of over consumption.” Female, 41
The power of plastic
So, what about more natural alternatives — would that be enough to stop the decline in fizzy drinks?
Well, over half — 51% — of our bees being would be interested in buying a product like Sodastream (drinks made from carbonated water and syrup). But, a product like this is marketed as a way to reduce plastic use, not sugar consumption.
Less than a quarter of our bees — 22% — cited plastic use as a reason they’re cutting back on fizzy drinks. Unlike water bottle drinkers, environmental concerns just aren’t enough to influence their consumption.
In fact, plastic bottles are Brits’ favourite containers for soft drinks — above glass and tin cans and most 2 in 3–62% — of our bees think that the material of the container impacts taste.
When it comes to soft drinks, flavour is more important than social responsibility. But what’s more important than both of those things is sugar content.
So, what does the future of fizzy drinks look like? Low-sugar, natural ingredients, and in a recyclable container — ideally plastic or glass.
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A quick word on our methodology: The figures in the article are taken from Streetbees community members in the UK, carried out in April 2019. All of the data was collected by mobile and web surveys, and is accurate to within 3percentage points 19 times out of 20.
