Senior Healthy Living Survey

by SilverSneakers

Executive Summary


The Senior Healthy Living Survey by SilverSneakers is conducted by global  intelligence company Morning Consult. The survey is fielded monthly among a national sample of adults 65 and older who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.

The mission of the Senior Healthy Living Survey is to serve as a primary voice of seniors nationwide in the areas representing all aspects of our mission. Harnessing this voice with rigor, and a focus on future-state, to anticipate the needs of seniors tomorrow while driving the thought leadership and product development of today.

Each survey includes a fixed set of questions on healthy behaviors along with a dynamic set of questions that cover timely topics imperative to our myriad stakeholders

Key Findings


  • Although the share of Seniors who are not currently participating in physical activity is steady from July, fewer now cite a lack of motivation as a reason (31% in August versus 44% in July). Instead, more Seniors attribute their lack of physical activity to experiencing chronic pain (26% in August versus 22% in July) and having other priorities (22% in August versus 16% in July).
  • In August, only around 1 in 5 Seniors feel that their level of physical activity is now better than it was 3 months ago, marking a low for the last 6 months. This trend is not because more Seniors now feel their level of physical activity is worse, but rather because more rate their level of activity as about the same as it was 3 months ago.
  • Following lower levels of loneliness last month, the share of Seniors who are lonely ticks back up this month, with approximately 1 in 5 Seniors now feeling lonely. In August, 33% of Seniors feel they lack companionship, 30% feel left out, and 27% feel isolated from others.
  • With recent upticks in COVID-19 cases, 82% of Seniors now feel that dealing with surges of cases is the new normal, and more than half are currently concerned about a COVID-19 outbreak. These concerns do not appear to impact Seniors’ level of comfort with being in public places, as most Seniors continue to feel very comfortable socializing with friends or family in public places.