GEN Z PREFERS BURIAL OVER CREMATION, REVERSING DECADES OF PREFERENCES TRENDING TOWARD CREMATION

National Funeral Directors Association Unveils Gen Z's Perspective and Preferences Compared to Baby Boomers, Gen X and Millennials 

BROOKFIELD, Wis., July 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- There is no shortage of social commentary on how Gen Z is redefining norms and challenging older generations to think differently, from fashion to workplace culture. But what about their perspective on death and dying?

A first-of-its-kind survey conducted by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) offers definitive data to show how Gen Z thinks differently about end-of-life matters for themselves and their loved ones – as well as similarities with older generations.

Notable differences between the generations highlight Gen Z's unique perspective, even compared to Millennials who are the closest in age, highlighting a pivot in end-of-life preferences to come:

• Final form of disposition: Over the past several years, the U.S. cremation rate has increased steadily (60.5% in 2023) and the trend is forecasted to grow to 81.4% by 2045 (Source: NFDA 2023 Cremation and Burial Report). While cremation is still a top preference for Baby Boomers (66%), Gen X (50%) and Millennials (42%), Gen Z stands alone with traditional burial as their top preference (37%).
• Talking about death: Nine in ten (91%) Americans believe talking about death and dying is healthy and normal. However, among the four generations, Gen Z (18%) is significantly more likely than older adults to disagree, believing it is not healthy and normal – bucking the generation's reputation as open and willing to discuss difficult and controversial topics.

"As consumer preferences evolve, funeral directors are tasked with ensuring the services and support they provide evolve right alongside them," said Dutch Nie, President of the National Funeral Directors Association. "We know Gen Z is both community-minded and interested in breaking cultural norms. This creates an opportunity for us to showcase the value of funerals and options available to create a truly custom service that honors the life of a loved one.'"

Other notable survey insights include:

• Importance of Funerals: 68% of Gen Z strongly agree it is important to commemorate the life of a loved one with a funeral or memorial service compared to 44% of Baby Boomers.
• Role of Funeral Director: While many U.S. adults have positive opinions about funeral directors, younger generations including Gen Z and Millennials are even more likely than Baby Boomers to think of funeral directors as important, valuable, experts in relevant products and services and trustworthy.
• Comfort with Death: Two in three adults (69%) are very or somewhat comfortable thinking about their own eventual death and seven in ten (73%) are very or somewhat comfortable talking with others about death. More Baby Boomers (33%) are very comfortable thinking about their immortality than Gen Z (24%) and Millennials (28%), while Millennials (71%), Gen X (72%), and Baby Boomers (77%) are more comfortable than Gen Z (63%) when talking about death.

NFDA's survey not only revealed new generational trends and end-of-life preferences, but also highlighted a need for all generations to find healthy ways to discuss death and their plans with friends and family. 

To encourage consumers to have meaningful conversations about loved ones, NFDA is offering a free download, Start the Conversation to help families and friends talk about how they'd like to be remembered. To get your free download, visit Remembering A Life, an online resource for planning or preplanning a meaningful funeral and accessing grief resources. Everyone who requests the free download will have the opportunity to win one of 50 decks of Have the Talk of a Lifetime Conversation Cards which help families start the conversation in a fun, informal setting. Free resources, including checklists and brochures, are also available at www.RememberingALife.com.

About National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA):
NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please contact 800-228-6332 or visit https://www.nfda.org/.

About the NFDA Survey Methodology:
This survey was conducted by Bridge Market Research LLC in May 2024 on behalf of the National Funeral Directors Association. It includes a representative sample of 2,000 U.S. adults age 18+. Results have a margin of error +/- 2.2% at the 95% confidence level.

Media Contacts:
Kate Glending
[email protected]

SOURCE National Funeral Directors Association