Experiment reveals Brits think large alcohol measures are small

• Less than one in five (19 per cent) of adults can accurately assess the amount of alcohol poured into a glass at home by sight alone
• In an experiment – almost three quarters of adults underestimated how much wine was in a large glass (250ml) and 78 per cent couldn’t correctly identify a double measure of gin
• Festive season warning: people could be over the limit as Brits self-pour huge measures

New research from Direct Line Motor Insurance reveals people risk drink driving this festive season, as in an experiment just 19 per cent could identify the amount of alcohol poured into a glass at home by sight¹. With the cost-of-living crisis meaning nearly one in five people are drinking more at home, rather than in pubs and restaurants to save money, people may consume far more alcohol than intended because they underestimate the size of glasses they pour.

In an experiment, almost three quarters of adults (70 per cent) shown a large glass of wine (250ml), believed it was a medium or small glass. Under a fifth (19 per cent) correctly identified how much alcohol was in the glass. The research raises concerns that people could accidentally drink too much when pouring alcohol at home during the festive season. 

Most people are clueless when calculating how many units of alcohol are in a large glass of wine. Only 15 per cent correctly identified it contains 3.2 units. The vast majority, 85 per cent, of people either underestimated the number of units or were completely unsure of the amount in the glass they were shown.

The research also found people are no better at estimating the volume of spirits. When shown a serving of gin in a glass, just 22 per cent correctly identified a double measure. Nearly six in ten (59 per cent) thought it was a single measure and 13 per cent were unsure. On the units of alcohol in a double measure of gin, only 23 per cent estimated correctly that it contained 1.8 units.

Direct Line is urging people to monitor the amount of alcohol consumed carefully, using measures if they want to monitor the volume of alcohol being poured. At present, 39 per cent of drinkers never check how much alcohol they pour at home. There are strict alcohol limits for drivers, but it is impossible to say exactly how many alcoholic drinks this equals as it is different for each person.  The drink driving limits in Scotland are also different to the rest of the UK.

Lorraine Price, Head of Motor Insurance at Direct Line, commented: “The cost-of-living crisis means people are more likely to be drinking at home this festive season rather than in pubs or restaurants that have set measurements for alcohol servings. People find it difficult to gauge how much they pour when drinking at home. There is a serious risk that some people will be over the drink driving limit if driving later that evening or the following morning. It is important people remember people react to alcohol differently, impacted by many factors including your age, metabolism, weight and what you’ve eaten. There’s no one size fits all when drinking this festive season.”