Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: Both Awareness and Readiness to Act Are Growing

AARP research reveals both growing momentum and lingering gaps in how U.S. adults 50 and older understand and address different issues surrounding brain health. Across three national surveys conducted in March and April 2026 examining Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, findings indicate that while many adults remain unaware that they can mitigate future risks to brain health through preventative actions earlier in life, exposure to new information meaningfully shifts attitudes and increases willingness to act.

Alzheimer’s disease is a top health concern for adults, especially for women

Most adults are concerned about cancer, stroke, heart disease, losing their hearing or vision, serious issues with mobility or physical functioning, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, women are significantly more worried about Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, heart disease, and mobility concerns compared to men. The largest gender gap, however, is for concern about Alzheimer’s disease, with more than 6 in 10 (62%) women expressing concern compared to fewer than half (49%) of men.

Alzheimer’s disease hits close to home for many older adults. Over 4 in 10 (43%) have had a close relative with the disease, including similar proportions of men and women (42% vs 46%). Nearly equal proportions of men and women (1 in 5) have had a parent with Alzheimer’s disease.

While most adults (55%) believe that memory loss is normal and unavoidable with age, there is increasing awareness that, to some extent, future brain health can be influenced. More than half (55%) of adults overall — including 53% of women — know there are measures that can be taken to reduce a person’s risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, two-thirds (68%) of adults, including two-thirds (67%) of women, realize that lifestyle choices, such as engaging in exercise and managing heart health, can impact future risk.

Dementia risk factors are not widely recognized

Across the surveys, awareness of dementia risk factors remains limited, with large shares of older adults reporting uncertain or incorrect beliefs.

Of the fourteen dementia risk factors surveyed in March, only four show a high level of awareness. Most adults are aware that physical activity in midlife may reduce the risk of dementia later in life (74%) and that dementia risk later in life may increase due to traumatic brain injury (61%), social isolation (56%), and excessive alcohol consumption (54%). 

Awareness of several modifiable midlife risk factors is relatively low. Smoking is a risk factor for many conditions, including dementia, and 43% of adults are aware that not smoking or quitting smoking reduces the risk of dementia. Overall, 4 in 10 or fewer recognize that high blood sugar (39%) and high blood pressure (36%) in midlife increase the risk of dementia later in life, and even fewer (29%) know that high cholesterol increases dementia risk as well.

Only 4 in 10 (39%) older adults are aware that addressing a hearing loss in midlife reduces the risk of dementia. Six in 10 (62%) adults would be encouraged to get their hearing tested if they were told it was a risk factor for cognitive decline or dementia. Women are significantly more likely than men to be strongly encouraged by this knowledge (34% vs 20%). Additionally, women are more likely to be strongly encouraged to get hearing aids, if needed, than men (39% vs 24%).

Learning about risk mitigation changes how people think about brain health

Across each of the surveys, exposure to new information about brain health risks is associated with a measurable shift in attitudes. In the April survey, respondents were presented with information about certain factors that increase the risk of developing dementia later in life, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, vision loss, hearing loss, social isolation, and physical inactivity. Three-quarters (75%) of adults 50 and older reported an increased willingness to take action to protect their brain health in the future. One-third (35%) said they would be much more likely to act, and 4 in 10 (40%) said they would be somewhat more likely, while fewer than one-quarter (23%) reported no change in their likelihood to act.

Women, however, would be significantly more likely to take action to protect their brain health in the future compared to men (80% vs. 70%). Particularly noteworthy, 41% of women say they would be much more likely to act compared to just 28% of men.

Beyond shifts in the likelihood of future action, respondents also reported intentions to take specific actions to protect their brain health after being presented with new information. In the April survey, many indicated they would be very or somewhat likely to take steps to protect their brain health in the next six months, such as:

• Increasing physical activity (64%)
• Scheduling a vision exam (57%)
• Speaking with a health care provider about heart health (56%)
• Increasing social engagement (49%)
• Speaking with a health care provider about blood sugar (46%)

Taken together, these findings show that while awareness of brain health risks remains uneven, exposure to new information is associated with shifts in attitudes and willingness to act. At the same time, persistent knowledge gaps may indicate that many adults 50 and older are not yet fully informed about actions they can take earlier in life to mitigate brain health risks.

Methodology

Findings are based on three national Foresight 50+ omnibus surveys conducted in March and April 2026 among adults 50 and older. The March Dementia Risk Factors Omni (n=1,032), March Alzheimer’s Omni (n=1,032), and April Dementia Risk Factors Omni (n=1,077) were weighted to be nationally representative of the U.S. population of adults 50 and older.

For more information, please contact Laura Mehegan at lmehegan@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.