Pew: half under‑50 get health advice online

Health advice is now a social feed product as much as a clinic product. That’s the real shift in Pew’s new work. Doctors still sit at the center of health information in the U.S., but a very large chunk of people — especially younger adults — are also learning about food, fitness, supplements, weight loss, and mental health from creators and podcast hosts. The news is not that this exists. The news is how normal it has become. (pewresearch.org) ### How big is this, exactly? Pretty big. Pew says 40% of U.S. adults ever get health and wellness information from social media influencers or podcasts. Among adults under 50, that rises to 50%. That means this is no longer a niche behavior limited to hardcore wellness corners of the internet — it is mainstream media consumption for health. (pewresearch.org) ### What counts as “health and wellness information” here? Not just disease advice. Pew’s package points to people learning about exercise, healthy eating, weight loss, mental health, and supplements. That matters because a lot of infl(pewresearch.org)apes real decisions. (pewresearch.org) ### Who are these influencers? They are not all doctors in scrubs doing myth-busting videos. Pew’s analysis says about 4 in 10 health and wellness influencers describe themselves as health care professionals. Coaches and entrepreneurs show up almost as often. In other words, expertise is part of this ecosystem, but branding and business identity are too. (pewresearch.org) ### Where are people finding them? Mostly where you would expect — inside the big algorithmic platforms. Pew’s broader analysis found that people often come across these creators through social media, and the influencer universe itself(pewresearch.org) and 45% on YouTube. The exact mix matters because discovery on those platforms is driven less by credentials than by engagement. (pewresearch.org) ### Do people actually trust this advice? Kind of — but not blindly. Pew says only 10% of people who get health and wellness information from these influencers trust all or most of it. Another 24% trust not much or none of it. The biggest group, 65%, says they trust some of it. Basically, people are using this material as a partial guide, not a total authority. (pewresearch.org) ### Why does that middle ground matter? Because “I trust some of it” is exactly how online health influence gets power. A creator does not need to replace your doctor to shape your choices. They just need to nudge what supplement you buy, what diet you try, what symptom you wor(pewresearch.org) scales extremely well online. This is also why the line between education, persuasion, and marketing gets blurry fast. (pewresearch.org) ### Why is the under-50 split the part everyone noticed? Because it shows a generational handoff in where health guidance starts. Younger adults already use podcasts and social platforms more heavily than older adults, so it makes sense that health information would follow the (pewresearch.org)they are part of the default information system. (pewresearch.org) ### So what’s the bottom line? The takeaway is not “people trust influencers more than doctors.” They don’t. The takeaway is that health decisions now often begin online, with creators who may be experts, salespeople, entertainers, or some mix of all three. That reach is the story — and the credibility fight comes after. (pewresearch.org)