Gen Z increasingly listens to peers over doctors for health advice
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Young adults around the world are increasingly taking health decisions into their own hands, according to new global survey results from communications firm Edelman.
Why it matters: Adults under age 35, many who've come of age since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, still rely on their individual providers to help with medical choices. But they're also seeking information on their own more than ever.
- "Younger adults have truly created their own health ecosystem with how they're looking for information, who they trust, what they're doing with health information," said Courtney Gray Haupt, Global Health Co-Chair and US Health Chair at Edelman.
What they found: In all age groups, but especially among adults younger than age 35, peer-driven health care decisions surged between 2024 and 2025.
- 45% of adults age 18 to 34 said they've disregarded their health provider's guidance in favor of information from a friend or family member in the past year — a 13-point increase from the previous year.
- 38% of young adults said they've ignored their provider in favor of advice from social media, a 12-point increase from the year before.
- Edelman surveyed more than 16,000 people across 16 countries in March.
Zoom in: Credentials and institutional credence are becoming less important to health care consumers — especially younger ones.
- The vast majority of young adults (82%) still said their individual doctor has influenced their health decisions. But one-third of young adults also reported content creators without medical training have influenced their health decisions.
- Some 45% of young adults say the average person can know as much about health matters as trained doctors, a 7-point increase from 2024 survey data.
- Meanwhile, 61% of U.S. respondents across all age groups said they feel business, government and non-governmental organization actions hurt their ability to get quality health care. Fewer than 40% in the U.S. said they trust the media to accurately report health care information.
Between the lines: Young adults are engaging with health media more than other age groups, the survey shows.
- 67% of young adults report engaging regularly with traditional news about health care, and 55% engage at least monthly with independent health media in podcasts or newsletters.
- The averages across all age groups are 53% and 39%, respectively.
Yes, but: Nearly 60% of young adults say they've made at least one health decision they regret based on inaccurate or misleading information.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify Haupt's title.
