Nationwide Insurance Survey Finds that Americans Overwhelmingly Reject an Ongoing Push to Lower the Legal Drinking Age from 21 to 18

A Nationwide Insurance survey released this week finds parents are fed up with “party schools” and politicians who support lowering drinking age.

According to the Nationwide Insurance survey:

• 78 percent of adults support 21 as the minimum drinking age
• 72 percent of adults think lowering the drinking age will make alcohol more accessible to kids
• Only 14 percent of Americans believe a lower drinking age will curb teen binge drinking
• Nearly half believe lowering the drinking age would increase binge drinking among teens
• More than half of the adults surveyed say would not send their children to colleges or universities with “party school” reputations
• More than half say they are unlikely to vote for a state representative who supports lowering the legal limit.

For two decades the legal drinking age in the U.S. has been 21. But during the last 18 months, nine states have entertained the idea of lowering the drinking age minimum and three states have live legislation. And more than 100 college and university presidents have signed on to a misguided initiative that uses deliberately misleading information to confuse the public on the effectiveness of 21 law. The public strongly disagrees with efforts to lower the drinking age.

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