Survey Finds 38% of Respondents Won’t Drink Corona Beer During Coronavirus Outbreak
- Funny
- Offensive
Oh, Beer!
March 1st, 2020 – Good luck finding hand sanitizer and face masks during the Coronavirus outbreak, but if you’re jonesing for a beer there should be plenty of Corona available. According to a study from 5W Public Relations, 38% of Americans said they wouldn’t buy Corona “under any circumstances” during the outbreak.
In addition to that number, 14% of people who regularly drink the Mexican lager told surveyors that they wouldn’t order a Corona out in public. The survey polled 737 beer drinkers in the United States; no word on their level of inebriation. And just to reiterate what should be clear: there is no link between a Corona beer and the virus.
16% of those surveyed were “confused” about whether or not Corona beer is related to the Coronavirus, according to the pollsters. Despite the findings, the beer’s parent company believes that consumers “understand there is no link between the virus and our business.”
“Sales of Corona remain very strong and we appreciate the continued support from our fans,” Constellation Brands spokesperson Stephanie McGuane told CNN Business. “Our advertising with Corona is consistent with the campaign we have been running for the last 30 years and is based off strong consumer sentiment.”
Constellation also added that Corona Extra, specifically, grew their sales numbers by 5% in the United States during a four-week period in January and February of this year.
5WPR founder Ronn Torossian is sticking by their numbers, however, and doubling down when questioned about the impact the virus will have on the brand.
“There is no question that Corona beer is suffering because of the coronavirus,” Torossian said. “Could one imagine walking into a bar and saying, ‘Hey, can I have a Corona?’ or ‘Pass me a Corona’? While the brand has claimed that ‘consumers understand there’s no linkage between the virus’ and the beer company, this is a disaster for the Corona brand. After all, what brand wants to be linked to a virus which is killing people worldwide?”
While the results of the survey went viral on Twitter, some people have placed a lot of skepticism on painting 38% of beer-drinking Americans with a wide, stupid brush. Yascha Mounk of The Atlantic is one person who has taken issue with the poll expressing that many of the answers might have nothing to do with the virus but simply their taste in beverage. Mounk also criticized the leading questions and called the survey nothing but a “fishing expedition designed to elicit viral stats.”