Forget self-care, Gen Z finds wellbeing where it always lived, in the pub

New YouGov data commissioned by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) finds that more than half of 18 to 24-year-olds say a pub visit has a positive impact on their wellbeing - ahead of solo exercise and self-care.

The pattern holds with the next age cohort as well, with almost half of 25 to 34-year-olds saying the same.

For a generation portrayed as lonely and isolated, it's a finding that might just change the story. And with 51% of 18 to 24-year-olds planning a pub visit this Easter, the four-day weekend is as good a time as any to raise a glass to that.

The received wisdom is that young people are retreating into screens, gym memberships and self-care routines. But our poll suggests something different is happening, and it tells us something important about how social connection is actually built.

Only 15% of young people say they go to the pub with the intention of meeting new people. Yet 44% say they have met new people there. That gap - between intention and outcome - is the pub doing what it’s been doing for generations and which can’t be replaced by an app or wellness routine.

People don't arrive looking to be rescued from isolation, but somewhere in the course of an ordinary evening, something shifts, a conversation starts and walls come down.

We’ve spent years discussing strategies to combat isolation amongst young people, while watching one of the most effective pieces of social infrastructure in the country struggle.

More than 2,000 pubs have shut since 2020. Each closure doesn't just remove a business - it removes the place where those unplanned encounters happen.

The Government must act to save these vital third spaces: pubs are asking for permanent business rates reform, a cut in beer duty, and serious action on the regulatory costs pushing publicans past the tipping point.

If we're serious about tackling loneliness and increasing community cohesion, we need to protect the spaces where connection is actually happening.

Emma McClarkin is chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association. The Long Live the Local campaign has more than 250,000 supporters and is calling for permanent business rates reform, a cut in VAT for pubs and the hospitality sector, and a cut in beer duty.

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