October 2014 – According to a July 2014 Gallup poll, 74% of Americans oppose lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. This viewpoint has barely wavered in the 30 years since 21 became the legal drinking age nationwide. In a Gallup poll taken shortly before the law was passed in 1984, 79% of Americans favored raising the drinking age to 21. When the poll was repeated in 2001 and 2007, 77% of Americans favored maintaining a legal drinking age of 21. The 1984 law was largely aimed at reducing alcohol related driving fatalities. Research shows many negative outcomes of alcohol consumption have decreased.
