Many Melbournites prefer to travel for a drink over heading to their local

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-01-12 03:00

Australia; International; VIC

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A Melbourne resident may be just as likely to travel outside their neighbourhood to go to a pub or bar as they are to visit their local, according to Australian researchers. The team were investigating the question of whether a greater density of bars and liquor stores in a neighbourhood increases the amount local residents drink - a question they say has so far proved difficult to answer. To understand how frequently people drink within their neighbourhood compared to outside it, the researchers used data from a Victorian household travel survey, looking specifically at trips to liquor stores and pubs/bars. They say 47% of the trips to bars and 23% of trips to liquor stores recorded by the survey were outside the participants' local government area. While they say the data available from the survey was limited, these statistics suggest a trip to the local bar is not necessarily the norm for a drinking session, and drinking behaviour is likely influenced by more than just a person's local environment.