Young Americans’ thirst for coffee grows – Survey

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. daily consumption of coffee
rose to 53 percent of the population in a 2005 survey, compared
with 49 percent in a 2004 survey, the National Coffee
Association of USA said on Tuesday.

The annual survey, based on nationwide random-telephone
interviews of nearly 3,000 people, found daily coffee drinking
among those 18 to 24 years of age reached a record high 26
percent of the respondents, up 4 percentage points from 2004.

Other age groups showed growth but not of the same
magnitude, NCA said.

“More Americans are enjoying more coffee than ever before,
turning new attitudes into daily behaviors,” Robert Nelson,
president and CEO of NCA, said in a statement.

“Savoring a wider variety of coffees to fill new roles
throughout the day, consumers now seem to be doing so every
day,” he added.

Since 1950, NCA has been tracking coffee-drinking habits
and trends in the United States and publishes the results in
its National Coffee Drinking Trends report.

Daily consumption of traditional coffee rebounded to 50
percent in 2005, following a six-year downward trend.
Meanwhile, consumption of gourmet coffee stalled, standing at
15 percent of the respondents. That compared with the previous
year’s record of 16 percent.

The survey found that six out of 10 Americans were aware of
single-cup brewing technologies, although only 2 percent of the
respondents said they had owned a single-cup brewer.