As the recession drags on, one side effect of the economic doldrums has been a surge in drinking among adults in the U.S., with two out of every three Americans consuming alcoholic beverages.

The latest poll from The Gallup Organization reveals that the U.S. drinking rate has risen to its highest level in 25 years. Roughly 67 percent of adults in the U.S. said they drink alcohol, and the higher the income of the respondents, the more likely they were to drink. The rate is up slightly from 64 percent last year and the highest since 1985.

Related: Read “Happy hour.”

The highest drinking rate on record was in 1976 to 1978, when 71 percent of Americans said they drank alcohol. Gallup, which has been tracking the drinking rates of Americans for 71 years, said that in the wake of the Great Depression in 1939, 58 percent of the population considered themselves drinkers.

The most popular beverage among Americans was beer, a constant every year since 1992 except one (wine was the top choice in 2005), according to Gallup. Residents on the East and West Coasts were more likely to prefer wine. The Midwest was the top region in the country for beer consumption.

That could be good news for the local operations of MillerCoors LLC, which said its total U.S. beer sales declined 2.4 percent in the most recent quarter. In the Gallup poll, 41 percent of the respondents said beer is the main beverage of choice, followed by wine at 32 percent and liquor at 21 percent.

Religion seemed to be the most dominant predictor of whether someone drinks. Infrequent churchgoers or those with no religious identity tend to drink more than regular churchgoers or people with religious affiliations.

The other interesting revelation is that people who make more money are more likely to drink. Of respondents who earn less than $20,000 per year, only 46 percent said they drink. That increased with each income level until the top, which was 81 percent of those who earn $75,000 or more annually identified themselves as drinkers.

Of age groups, people 18 to 34 and 35 to 54 had a drinking rate of 72 percent, while 59 percent of those in the 55 and older age group said they drink.

Results were based on telephone interviews conducted in July with a random sample of 1,020 adults aged 18 and older living in the continental U.S.

Related: Read “Bar, nightclub owners urged to look beyond price when seeking coverage.”