If ‘only’ six beers have been consumed during the last seven days, then I would suggest that those interviewed, are simply providing the interviewer with a ‘conservative’ answer. If the average male is a consumer of beer, then he is unlikely to consume ‘less’ than a bottle per day throughout the week. He will also have some in his fridge, which will not only be consumed during the week, but in greater volume at weekends. Why not consult the SAB, who have built their own business on infinitely higher volumes than the AMPS Survey would suggest.
Perhaps the questions asked require modification. After all, the ‘off-premise’ (home) consumption, is still I understand, far greater than ‘on premise’ (pub), albeit that in other countries (e.g. the UK), this pattern is reversed.
It is also a known fact that both beer drinkers and claimed ‘non-drinkers’ will lie ‘unmercifully’ when challenged, about their addiction to alcoholic beverages, not just in SA, but worldwide. (That’s why we should never rely totally, on research!)
Why not challenge the ‘research executives’ themselves who are by far, the largest consumers of beer. Why? Because they have to kill time in pubs waiting for ‘IT Nurds’ to present them with the Data that they can then interpret and then re-present to non-believers like me! Lets face it, all figures can be ‘massaged’ and the example below is hardly representative of the male universe in SA, or anywhere for that matter.
Regrettably, I must challenge the qualitative’ structure of the AMPS questionnaire, yet again!
By all means shoot me down in flames, if you feel that my comments are unjustified.
Tony