Invitation to Drinkaware Summer 2026 Research Briefing, 17 June
Invitation to Drinkaware Summer 2026 Research Briefing: Understanding Middle-aged Men’s drinking practices and experiences of alcohol in Ireland.
Date: Wednesday 17 June 2026
Time: 11am
This event will take place online via Zoom.
Join us for our Summer 2026 Research Briefing, featuring Niall Brennan, Director, Ipsos B&A, delivering the keynote presentation, followed by a Q&A.
Talk title: Understanding Middle-aged Men’s drinking practices and experiences of alcohol in Ireland
More men are drinking regularly and when they do, they are drinking more (and harmful levels) as evident from quantitative data.
Poor lifestyle behaviours including harmful drinking is a major contributory factor in men’s health outcomes. It is important to understand the context in which men are consuming alcohol in Ireland and the drivers behind these trends to help shape more effective and targeted information campaigns.
Following on from the success of our young adult’s qualitative research project last year, we were interested in applying a similar methodology and approach to help understand middle-aged men’s experiences in 2026. Ipsos B&A were commissioned to undertake a qualitative research project with the overall aim to explore the views and experiences of drinking alcohol men aged 40-55 in Ireland. The purpose of this body of work was to advance research to understand how men engage with alcohol and strategies that they use to reduce harmful drinking practices.
A qualitative methodology using an ethnographic approach was taken again, putting voices men at the core by ensuring their lived experiences shaped the project. Carefully listening to the experiences of a sample of 24 40–55-year-olds in a non-prescribed manner through semi-structured self-video diaries over the course of five days, provided the best approach to enhance understanding in a way that is relatable to how middle-aged men live their lives, in their own words. The keynote presentation will provide an overview of key findings from this study.
Speaker Biography:
Niall Brennan is a Behavioural Economics expert who specialises in understanding how and why people make the choices they do in individual, group and environmental contexts.
Niall works with a large cross section of brands in B2C & B2B industries. Niall has a wealth of experience with both qualitative and quantitative research. He has also established a reputation for developing research solutions which employ digital ethnography in Ireland and internationally.Niall holds a MSc Degree in Human Decision Sciences from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and a BBS from DCU.
Attendance at this event is free. Register via Eventbrite by 5pm on 16 June 2026:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/drinkaware-summer-2026-research-briefing-tickets-1990385454474
All registered participants will be sent an email with instructions on how to attend the briefing via Zoom.
The views expressed in our Research Briefing Series are those of the speakers, based on their work in research and other disciplines.
Drinkaware is the national independent charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse in Ireland, governed by an independent board and regulated by the Charities Regulator.