Housing, health care and social services top the list of community needs as America’s population ages

Most Americans agree that their communities need more affordable housing, health care and social supports, and services to help residents remain independent as they age, according to a new survey from West Health and Gallup. Sixty-five percent of Americans feel a need for more affordable housing, and 60% say there is a need for more affordable health care and social supports and services.

The new West Health-Gallup research comes as the federal government, community leaders and advocates, nonprofits and other stakeholders work to develop a National Plan on Aging, a set of age-friendly practices and policy recommendations to address the growing needs of America’s aging population over the next decade, according to previous researchMost Americans (66%) do not believe the country is ready to act. By 2030, seniors will make up nearly 21% of the population, and for the first time in U.S. history, they will outnumber people under 18.

“America is facing a profound demographic shift that requires new thinking and smart planning across multiple sectors, from housing and health care to transportation and social services,” said Timothy A. Lash, president of West Health, a nonprofit focused on health care and aging. “This survey shows that Americans feel the need, and now policymakers must sense the urgency and develop plans that better reflect an older America.”

In addition to medical care and housing, the survey found that one in five adults feel a “great need” for more mental health care (22%), with only 16% saying they have “very easy” access in their communities. While men and women report roughly the same sense of ease of access, they are nearly twice as likely as men to say their community has a great need for mental health care (28% vs. 16%, respectively). Conversely, nearly a third of respondents (32%) say it is very easy to access physical health care, with only 16% saying there is a great need in their communities.

“These findings show that the American public is acutely aware of the need to be better prepared as our population ages,” said Dan Witters, a senior researcher at Gallup. “The question now is what policymakers and other stakeholders will do to address the need and urgency.”

The West Health-Gallup Survey was conducted online June 3–18, 2024, among a representative sample of 2,180 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as part of the Gallup Panel, a probability-based panel of approximately 100,000 adults across the country.

Provided by West Health Institute