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


  • In May, the share of Seniors participating in physical activities at home (+4%), in the community (-1%), and at the gym (+/-0%) remained relatively stable. For participation in fitness activities, at-home (+5%) and gym (+1%) activities are up while community activities are down -5% this month.
  • Encouragingly, the theme of chronic pain we saw last month is down this month, as just 1 in 5 (19%) Seniors now say it is a reason for them not participating in physical activity (-27%). Motivation, however, stands out as a reason for Seniors not participating in physical activity; nearly half (47%) say a lack of motivation is a reason for their non-participation, up +11% from last month and on an increasing trend since February.
  • Healthy eating habits continue to be an important aspect of Seniors’ overall health and well-being. This month, 90% of Seniors state that eating healthy foods is important, and just 1% say healthy eating is unimportant.
  • Additionally, this month we see loneliness levels dip from previous highs last month. Overall loneliness (23%) as well as individual factors—companionship (34%) and isolation (29%)—are down while feeling left out (30%) is up just 1% this month. Encouragingly, the share of Seniors who are very comfortable socializing in public (60%) reaches a high in May.