Gen Z Keeps Europe’s Bar Culture Alive as Social Experiences Gain Ground, HEINEKEN Study Finds

Survey of around 9,000 adults across nine countries finds younger guests visiting bars frequently while food, events and atmosphere shape expectations for the future.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• HEINEKEN surveyed approximately 9,000 adults across nine European countries; its results are unweighted.
• Gen Z respondents aged 18–29 reported visiting bars more often than each surveyed country’s average.
• Between 62% and 77% of respondents said leading bars of the future need to offer more than drinks.
• Across markets, 83% to 97% believed communities would lose something if bars disappeared.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — The future of Europe’s bars may depend less on how much people drink and more on why they choose to meet. New research released by HEINEKEN suggests younger adults remain active visitors to bars, even as changing social routines and demand for richer experiences reshape the hospitality venues people value.

The company’s Future Role of Bars in Europe study surveyed approximately 9,000 adults in Austria, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. Across all nine markets, people aged 18–29 — the generation identified in the study as Gen Z — reported visiting bars more frequently than the respective national averages. Those younger respondents were also more likely to regard bars as places to meet people and form social connections.

These findings challenge a simple narrative that younger generations are abandoning bars. They do not, however, establish how often all young Europeans visit hospitality venues: the results were unweighted and reflect individual country samples, rather than population-weighted estimates for Europe as a whole.

Guests increasingly expect more than a drink

Between 62% and 77% of respondents across the surveyed markets said the best bars of the future would need to offer more than drinks. The desired additions range from food and live music to events, welcoming surroundings and occasions that make spending time together worthwhile. Technology consistently ranked among the lowest priorities, according to the findings.

For bar operators, that contrast points to an experiential challenge rather than a purely digital one: creating places with a convincing atmosphere, a distinctive programme and reasons for friends and visitors to return. The priorities also vary between countries. HEINEKEN highlighted the role of traditional pubs in the United Kingdom and Ireland, food-led social occasions in Spain and café-bar culture in parts of Southern Europe as examples of locally distinct formats.

A social role that respondents want to preserve

The survey found that 60% to 85% of respondents, depending on market, expect bars to remain important to social life over the coming decade. A larger share — between 83% and 97% — believed their communities or wider societies would lose something if bars disappeared.

The generational split was not uniform. While the youngest surveyed adults reported comparatively frequent visits, respondents aged 30–45 — identified as Millennials — showed the sharpest decline in routine visits compared with five years earlier. The study suggests that pressures associated with different life stages may be an important consideration when operators assess changing demand, although it does not prove what caused the decline.

Joanna Price, HEINEKEN’s chief corporate affairs officer, described bars as places where friendships develop and communities gather. She said the findings reinforce the company’s commitment to supporting venues and shared experiences that bring people together.

What the findings mean for hospitality and travel

Bars, pubs and café-bars are part of a destination’s social landscape as well as its food-and-beverage economy. For tourists, their appeal may lie in opportunities to experience local customs, music, cuisine and everyday social life. The study’s country-by-country differences suggest that venue operators and hospitality businesses should avoid assuming one model of nightlife will appeal equally across European destinations.

The research forms part of HEINEKEN’s wider examination of social connections in hospitality and follows its Praise the Bar series, which spotlights local venues and bartenders. The company’s corporate website provides additional background on its hospitality initiatives.

In methodological notes, HEINEKEN said the survey covered adults aged 18 and over, with approximately 1,000 respondents in each country, and was supplemented by search, behavioural and cultural analysis. Because the figures are unweighted, comparisons should be treated as directional indications of consumer attitudes and country-level patterns rather than precise estimates of the total European population.