- Pew Research Center's nationwide survey looks at aging through eyes of those 65 and older.
- The survey asks adults younger than 65 what they expect when they reach that age.
- Older adults say they're more satisfied, while younger adults are more worried about aging.
America, like much of the world, is getting older. In the last 20 years, the portion of people in the United States who are ages 65 and older rose substantially, from just over 1 in 8 to almost 1 in 5. The question is, how are older adults in the U.S. faring and how do younger adults see their own futures as time marches on?
Pew Research Center on Thursday released a nationally representative survey focused on aging, from who’s doing well or struggling to the attitudes of younger people about their prospects as they get older.
Report co-author and Pew research assistant Luona Lin said the new report is part of the center’s ongoing effort to study how the U.S. is changing socially and demographically. And one of the country’s biggest changes is how fast the population is aging.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2024, about 61.2 million Americans are at least 65.
Pew surveyed 8,750 adults between Sept. 2 and Sept. 5, 2025. Of those, 6,156 were younger than 65 and 2,582 were 65 or older.
It turns out that those who have reached that older age are more confident and serene about the accumulation of birthdays than are younger adults, who find themselves a bit unsure or even fearful of the future.
Nearly half of those 65 and older (49%) describe themselves as aging “very” or “extremely” well. Just roughly 30% of younger adults predict that will be their own story and they will age well, too. The survey finds that younger adults when asked how they expect their lives to unfold in their 70s and beyond are more worried than excited, the report said, at 67% vs. 51%.
The key factors to aging well, according to the report, are health, financial security and social support, Lin said, who noted the difference that financial resources make. “In all of these factors, older adults with higher income have a clear advantage,” she said.
Why money matters
“Those with more income are more likely to have better health outcomes,” she said. “They’re obviously more financially secure and they’re more likely to have more social support. They have people they can turn to, they are more likely to spend time on hobbies and learning a new skill. These factors are also associated with aging well.”
Lin told Deseret News that all means that “income is central in how Americans are thinking about and experiencing aging; the experience differs vastly by income.”
A key factor was whether people thought their income — however high or low — could support their retirement, providing a sense of security.
About 6 in 10 in the upper income tier give themselves high marks for aging well, while the numbers are significantly lower for those in the middle-income group (51%) and those with lower income (39%). Older folks with high income are more apt to say they are physically and mentally healthy, have time to pursue hobbies and other interests and that they socialize often and are involved in civic or other activities.
Age clearly colors perceptions, too — perhaps the difference between lived experience and trying to predict an uncertain future. Forty-five percent of younger adults under 65 are not sure they will have enough financial resources to last and some worry they will never be able to retire. That’s a key reason among the younger ones that “worry” is a more common response than “excitement,” Lin said.
Health is the biggest concern. Then money, according to Lin.
She said the survey showed younger people answered the open-ended question about their financial worries by mentioning running out of money, what the cost of living would be and fears that Social Security won’t be available to them when they retire, among other things.
A third of those surveyed, however, believe they have at least some control over how they age, with a larger share among older adults than younger ones. A greater share think they can impact their physical health and mobility than believe they have much control over their mental acuity or how old they look, though they believe they can have some influence in both of those areas, too.
How long do those surveyed hope to live? Just over three-fourths say they’d like to live to at least 80, and nearly 3 in 10 would like to celebrate a 100th birthday. The average goal is 91 years old.
Life in the present
Among those 65 and older:
- 60% call their mental health excellent or very good
- 66% are optimistic about their life at least most of the time
- 70% say they often have people they can ask for support
- 37% say their physical health is at least very good
- 35% sometimes feel isolated or lonely
- 24% say they have mental confusion or memory loss at least sometimes
- 22% struggle with everyday tasks like walking, climbing stairs or carrying groceries
- 16% sometimes need help handling their affairs or caring for themselves
“Some of these challenges are more common among those in their 80s and older,” the Pew researchers wrote. They also noted that some older adults are not well enough to take a survey and so their voices are not heard. The survey excluded those in a group setting such as a nursing home, which the census said included 3% of older adults.
Worries that come with age
Among the adults who have not yet achieved senior citizen (age 65) status, about 3 in 10 say they’ll age really well, while another 52% think they’ll age somewhat well, for a total of 82%. Among those in the upper income group, 90% predict that aging will go at least somewhat well, compared to 84% of middle income and 75% of lower income folks.
Per the report, “When we asked adults under 65 how often they think about what life will be like in their 70s and beyond, 60% say they think about it at least sometimes, including 18% who think about it often.” And 28% say they are both worried and excited about the prospects.
The top worries are health, both physical and mental, finances — including whether Social Security will be there when they want to retire — and family relationships, including the possibility they’ll be lonely, lose loved ones or become a burden, per the survey.
There’s a hierarchy to what causes excitement, too, starting with the prospect of having more time with family and friends, more time for activities and travel and less time working.
Looking younger
The survey asked what people have done or would consider doing to look younger. Turns out 56% have tried or would consider taking anti-aging supplements, 52% have dyed or would dye their hair to cover gray, 23% would get or have gotten nonsurgical cosmetic treatments and 18% have said yes or at least maybe someday to cosmetic plastic surgery.
Women are far more likely than men to say they have or would consider each of those four options.
Religion, hobbies and work
A large share of those older adults with adult children say they’re in contact with them at least a few times a week, sometimes in person, other times by phone or text (71%). That’s more true of older women than older men. Older women are also somewhat more likely than older men to say they often see and socialize with friends.
About half of older adults say they have hobbies and other interests they spend time on, while 4 in 10 report being active in civic groups or interest clubs, which might include religious groups or book clubs or sports leagues.
Close to a third say they volunteer at least sometimes.
Religion and spirituality are part of life for more than half, in some form. Fifty-six percent say they pray at least daily and nearly 4 in 10 attend religious services in person once a month or more.
As people get older, the number working drops off. Not quite 1 in 10 of the older adults are employed full time, while 7% work part-time. Nearly a third of adults ages 65-69 still work, compared to 1 in 8 in their 70s and just 3% of those in their 80s or older.
Advice from those who are older
Health was the biggest topic when older Americans in the survey were encouraged to offer advice to younger adults. Their recommendations ranged from eating well and exercising to keeping regular medical appointments.
The second category of advice concerned finances, with a focus on saving.
Roughly a quarter of older Americans also advised embracing a positive outlook, including enjoying life, cherishing moments and living with a sense of gratitude.
Planning for the end of life
Just 32% of U.S. adults said they’d made a will to deal with their assets when they die. A slightly smaller share, 31%, said they had a living will or advance health care directive in case they ever need someone to make medical decisions for them. Just 1 in 5 said they have made arrangements for their funeral.
That kind of planning picks up steam when people reach their 70s. At that time, about 2 out of 3 adults have a will and nearly that many have a living will or advance directive. And by their 80s, 8 in 10 have done their end-of-life planning, according to the Pew survey.