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US Alcohol Consumption vs US Federal Debt Outstanding

US Alcohol Consumption and US Federal Debt Outstanding correlate at r = +0.91 over 21 years (2000–2020), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = -0.00. Likely spurious (shared time trend).

Verdict: Likely spurious (shared time trend). Both series mostly just trend over time. After removing that trend the correlation collapses to -0.00 — the relationship is probably coincidental, not causal.

Pearson r
+0.91
p-value
< 0.0001
Years compared (n)
21 (2000–2020)
95% confidence interval
0.78 to 0.96
Correlation with the time trend removed
-0.00

Sources

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Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.