When it comes to living healthier longer, Americans of all ages have common ground. According to the 2024 Fear of Aging survey, we’re all willing to take preventative and proactive measures earlier than ever.

Using a multi-generational survey of healthy aging and consumer habits, the Fear of Aging report reveals what today’s Americans think about growing older – what it looks like, what we’re afraid of, and what we’re willing to do about it. 

The survey, conducted by YouGov, recorded responses from 3,000 individuals, including data from Generation Alpha, Generation Z, Millennials, and more. The results highlight how aging doesn’t have to leave us feeling old. The ways we think about aging can have a positive impact on the steps we take to improve our health span.

Insights from Generation Alpha

What is Generation Alpha? Defined as individuals born in the early 2010s, Generation Alpha has so far distinguished itself by hyper-connectivity and pro-active mindsets, powered by social media and their digital presence. Generation Alpha shows an acute interest in societal expectations, both online and off, and they’re hoping for a better future. 

So, what do today’s youth have to say about aging? 

The survey recorded response from 537 U.S. youths, ages 13-17. Of that cohort, 40 percent would welcome a societal shift toward a positive view of aging. The worst effects of aging, according to Generation Alpha, are both physical, such as the loss of strength and mobility, and mental, such as loss of memory.

That tracks with U.S. adults overall, where the top fear related to aging is not physical signs of aging, like wrinkles and gray hair, but a decrease in a person’s value in society.

To fight the effects of aging, Generation Alpha is willing to spend big. When asked if they would spend more than $100 per month ($1,200 annually)­ to slow aging or resist the appearance of aging, 51 percent replied in the affirmative. That’s compared to only 15 percent of Gen Z respondents and 24 percent of Millennial respondents. 

Already, Generation Alpha is recognizing the importance of mental health as integral to self-care. More than any previous group, Generation Alpha would prioritize protecting mental health and reducing stress as a first step to resisting aging.

America's relationship with aging

Americans overall harbor mixed sentiments toward aging. Although everyone acknowledges the inevitability of growing older, nearly one-third of survey respondents expressed feeling anxious or scared; 25 percent feel depressed or sad.

Although lifespans are finite, Americans aren’t resigned to shorter health spans. Asked what they do to “slow aging or combat the appearance of aging,” two-thirds agree that eating healthfully and exercising are the first logical steps. The next step? Nutritional supplementation. Survey data show 45 percent of Americans would take nutritional supplements to promote healthy aging. 

Interestingly, 41 percent of respondents said they would limit drinking and/or smoking to fight the signs of aging, a sign that Americans are shifting away from addictive substances that pose serious health problems later in life.

Gender and healthy aging

Women are often stereotyped as being more superficial about the signs of aging and the lengths they’re willing to go to achieve it. However, the data actually show that men are willing to sacrifice more to appear young:

Compared to women, men of all ages are 25-percent more likely to give up their vacation time to appear young. More surprisingly, men are 33-percent more likely to give up having children to appear young. 

But women tend to internalize their thoughts about aging; female respondents report that aging makes them feel anxious, scared, depressed, and insecure. Only 20 percent of women say they feel empowered by aging, citing that pressure from social media and targeted ads induce feelings of shame about aging. 

How do we learn about healthy aging?

Health influencers abound online, and more content is created every minute to shape and reshape the national conversation on health and wellness. It’s difficult to know whom to trust. 

Respondents overwhelmingly show respect for clinical research and hope for scientific breakthroughs in age-related symptoms, like cognitive decline and chronic disease. But only 1 in 5 respondents indicate interest in asking their health-care providers for advice on how to slow aging. Less than one-third (29 percent) said they would take a healthy aging nutritional supplement recommended by a health-care provider.

These data show a greater need for health-care providers to bring their experience, voice, and years of practice to the conversation on healthy aging. 

The takeaway

Thorne's 2024 Fear of Aging report highlights the landscape of Americans' attitudes toward aging. Generation Alpha, while still in its youth, represents an opportunity to engage in healthy attitudes toward aging and new potential to educate consumers on how to prolong one’s health span. Although apprehension toward aging still exists, trust in health-care providers and clinical research emphasizes Americans’ desires to approach aging in an educated manner.

Read Thorne’s 2024 Fear of Aging report.

Want more information on how to age healthily? Explore Thorne’s healthy aging solutions.