The Great Irish Coffee Survey

A new national survey of over 500 Irish coffee drinkers shows how much it has taken over Irish life. The Survey Finds:

• 11% of Irish coffee drinkers have more than 5 cups a day
• 7% say that drinking coffee has a negative effect on libido
• 65% never use a reusable cup

So, it turns out most of us enjoy a morning brew. In fact, 62% of Irish people drink coffee, and most (63%) drink at least two a day. But a majority (73%) buys no more than two coffees a week in a cafe, so that's a lot of coffee made in kitchens and office canteens.

We're sure you've heard of the campaign against single-use plastic by now. And you might also have heard that many takeaway cups aren't even recyclable. Yet, despite recent environmental campaigns and café-based incentives, the vast majority use disposable takeaway cups: indeed, 65% say they never use a reusable cup for takeaway coffees, and 16% only use one 'sometimes' . There seems to be a correlation between age and reusable coffee cup use: When we break down those numbers by age, 40% of 18-44-year olds use a reusable container at least 'sometimes', but that number drops to 28% for 44-55-year olds and then to 21% for over 55-year olds.

For Irish people, coffee seems to be something to fuel their working day; instead of a leisurely, pricey treat. This, we think, might be why Americano is the most popular order in the country, with more expensive, longer-taking coffees further down the list. So, americano leads the way (33%), which possibly explains why most respondents (51.88%) spend €2-€2.99 on an average coffee. On the more extravagant end, almost 5% of respondents spend more than €4 every time they got a takeaway coffee. 18-24-year olds love their cappuccinos, with one in three having that as their order of choice. 25-34s place cappuccino and americano neck and neck, with each drink getting 24% of the vote in that group. For over 65s, americano is the clear favourite, with 41% of the vote. Perhaps unsurprisingly given that figure, 45% of that demographic find the current range of coffees 'confusing'. Speaking of new options, less than 1% (0.3%) of respondents chose frappe as their beverage of choice.

You might want to sit down for this one. The annual spend on coffee is significant: 27% of respondents buy at least 3 takeaway coffees per week, spending an approximate €468 per year on the black stuff. On the higher end of the scale, 4% buy 9 or more coffees per week, spending an estimated €1,404 on takeaway coffees per year. So, if you're hoping to save up for a big event, cutting back on those takeout coffees would be a good place to start. By the way, if you're thinking of buying a coffee machine, you're not alone. A previous survey of Irish consumers (held by TGI Choices) discovered that 9% of Irish consumers own a coffee machine and 12% intend to buy one within the next 12 months.

Breaking it down by gender, in response to the question 'How important is coffee to start your day?', 35% of women and 29% of men said, 'extremely important'. Coffee habits change over time, too. Answering the question 'How important is your first cup of coffee to get you ready for the day ahead?', 35% of 25-54-year olds said, 'very important'. However, that number flips completely in the higher age groups, with 33% of over 55-year olds saying, 'not at all important'. This could be down to a cultural change (coffee didn't take over our lives as much in the olden days!) and the fact that some respondents over 55 would be retired.

And finally, regarding libido, 9.7% say that drinking coffee has a negative effect on libido, with 19% believing it has a positive impact and the rest saying that it has no effect either way. For 55-64-year olds, though, 26% believe that it has a positive effect. Quite an upswing. The survey was carried out across the country, with over 500 respondents across all age and gender demographics.