How Many People Drink Coffee? A New Survey Says A Lot of Us

Coffee is life. The thought of a hot cup is enough to get me out of bed in the morning, and the occasional afternoon espresso gives me the oomph to follow through with weekend dinner plans. If you’re nodding your head and raising your hands as if the messiah herself is preaching this to you, you’re in really good company.

Last month, a market research company called OnePoll (on behalf of Flavia) randomly surveyed 2,050 U.S. adults who work in an office or on-site at their job, and it’s clear that coffee is the fuel that many of us turn to for both a morning and midday boost. Sixty-six percent of respondents said that hot coffee is their first drink of the day, and 47% said they also go for an iced coffee when they get to the office. People are also consuming water (45%) and flavored water (30%).

After taking the dog out, I immediately brew myself a cup, and 59% of people also make coffee their first priority. Sixty percent of respondents said they get organized first, and 55% check their emails before anything else. Twenty-four percent said they need the most coffee on Mondays (no surprise there), while an overwhelming majority (77%) said it takes two or more cups before they really start feeling productive. That’s a lot of caffeine, and 60% said they grab another coffee when they need to feel energized during the workday.

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Also in the survey: some corporate mumbo jumbo about how free beverages are the holy grail of in-office working. “Over eight in 10 employees said having free beverages as a workplace perk would make them feel valued, and offering free beverages was the most requested perk to encourage employees to work from an office,” Camille Vareille, VP, Head of Marketing Americas, Lavazza Group, said in a statement. “Investing in an array of beverages on-site can not only save employees time and money but also help with bringing them back into the office.”

There is no doubt that it’s very, very nice to have free beverages in the office, especially when it can save coffee drinkers both time and money. Survey respondents said they spend an average of $6.27 on each of their coffee runs, which adds up to nearly $3,000 per year. The average coffee run also takes between 16 and 17 minutes, which adds up to about two days per year waiting on the barista. But it doesn’t take into account that leaving the office for a break is genuinely good for you and that office perks could also include things like pleasant coworkers, commuter benefits and actual nourishment like snacks and lunches.

Anyways, Americans — like most of the rest of the world — love coffee and need it to function like normal human beans (get it?) on a daily basis. And if that’s wrong, then good golly I don’t want to be right.