The U.S. population is aging rapidly. From 2004 to 2024, the share of Americans ages 65 and older increased from 12.4% to 18.0%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Against this backdrop, Pew Research Center surveyed 8,750 U.S. adults from Sept. 2 to 8, 2025, to understand how they’re thinking about aging:

• How are things going for older Americans as they age?
• What do younger adults think life will be like in their later years?
• Are there aspects of aging that Americans think people can control?
• What have Americans done, or what would they consider doing, to look younger than they are?

Pew Research Center conducted this research as part of an ongoing effort to study how the U.S. is changing socially and demographically and how the public is reacting to these changes. It also builds on previous work on older adults and aging.

For this study, we surveyed 8,750 adults from Sept. 2 to 8, 2025. The survey included 6,156 adults under 65 and 2,582 adults ages 65 and older. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.

Here are the survey questions used for this report, the detailed responses and the survey methodology.