Per capita wine consumption

That Americans watched less Survivor as they drank more wine is the kind of statistic that deserves a dignified cocktail party. Perhaps the wine explained why nobody could remember to tune in. Perhaps the tribal council was held in the kitchen.

Both lines moved sharply in 2020 because of the same lockdown. Survivor's viewership dropped as covid paused production and delayed seasons, while US per capita wine consumption hit record highs as living rooms became bars and housebound adults drank their way through the year. The correlation measures nothing more profound than the fact that a 2020 household had something open at all hours — just not a television schedule.

So the correlation is the sound of a medium losing to another medium, both sitting on the same couch. The wine glass, as a storytelling device, finally outlasted network television. Cheers.