ANN ARBOR—Almost 3 out of every 4 senior Americans have encountered at least one severe weather incident in the previous two years, and experiencing such an event seems to significantly influence their perceptions regarding the potential consequences of climate change on their well-being, according to a fresh University of Michigan survey.

The results from the National Poll on Healthy Aging indicate that 59% of individuals aged 50 and older are anxious about how climate change might impact their health.

The proportion of those expressing worry was even greater among individuals who had recently experienced a weather crisis, such as a wildfire, extreme heat, a severe storm, or a power outage lasting more than 24 hours. Overall, 70% of those who had gone through at least one such event in the past two years showed concern about climate change and their health, in contrast to 26% of those who had not undergone such an incident.

Other segments of elderly adults were likewise more inclined to voice concern regarding the implications of climate change on their health, including women, those reporting fair or poor mental health, and those residing in urban areas.

However, only 6% of individuals over 50 had discussed with a healthcare provider about how extreme weather could influence their health and what measures they might take to prepare or safeguard themselves.

This highlights the potential for older adults to consult their doctors and other healthcare professionals about matters like protecting their lungs from wildfire smoke, preparing for extended disruptions to their medication supply or the power that supports their medical devices, or learning where to find cooling centers, warming centers, and emergency shelters in their locality.

“Our results indicate a necessity to aid more older adults in grasping and taking measures to prepare for the repercussions of wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, extreme heat waves, winter storms, and more, particularly concerning the medications, medical supplies, electricity, and access to care that these crises can disrupt,” stated Sue Anne Bell, a nurse practitioner and associate professor at the U-M School of Nursing who collaborated with the poll team. Bell specializes in examining the effects of disasters and public health crises on older adults.

The poll is situated at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and is supported by Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical institution. It was carried out in August 2024, prior to some of the most severe climate-related emergencies of the past year, such as September’s Hurricane Helene—the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005—and the wildfires in the Los Angeles region in January 2025.

In total, 2023 and 2024 were nearly equal for the number of weather and climate catastrophes costing over a billion dollars, and such monumental disasters have increased over the lifetimes of today’s older adults.

Apart from concerns for their own health, 74% of individuals aged 50 and over expressed worry regarding the possible impact of climate change on the health of future generations. This includes 43% who claim they are very concerned and 31% who are somewhat concerned.

Older adults who had experienced a weather emergency in the previous two years were more inclined to express worry about future generations, with 83% of these individuals indicating they’re concerned, compared to 45% of those who had not faced a weather emergency.

Severe heat was the most commonly reported extreme weather event by poll participants, with 63% stating they had faced at least one significant heat wave in the past two years. Poor air quality due to wildfire smoke followed at 35%, and 31% had been affected by a severe storm. Prolonged power outages (lasting more than one day) were the next most frequent at 13%; power outages could result from reasons unrelated to extreme weather.

The poll also inquired of older adults which prospective future impacts of climate change concerned them the most. The most cited potential future effect was increased frequency of extreme heat events (70%), closely followed by air pollution and poor air quality (69%), loss of essential infrastructure like power and water (68%), more frequent severe storms (68%), and shifts in infectious diseases (66%).

“These types of events can directly affect an older adult’s health—for example, individuals with asthma and other lung conditions may find it difficult to breathe due to wildfire smoke, home medical devices can be disrupted by power outages, and older individuals may be more susceptible to extreme heat and cold,” stated poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, a primary care physician at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and an associate professor of internal medicine at U-M.

“However, there are also indirect consequences, including mental strain, limited access to medications and medical services, and in extreme cases, an inability to evacuate safely or locate shelter.”

Bell emphasized that planning and preparing for emergencies “is crucial for those with complex health issues and disabilities, who should seek guidance from their regular healthcare provider and obtain information from their local and state emergency preparedness agencies.”

Poll participants who reported a health issue or disability restricting their daily activities were slightly more likely than other older adults to state that they had consulted a healthcare provider about preparing for a climate-related emergency, at 8% vs. 5%. Among all older adults who engaged in such discussions, 64% had taken at least one step to prepare.

The U.S. government’s Ready.gov website provides resources on how to prepare for and manage extreme weather events and other emergencies.

Bell had previously collaborated with the poll team to investigate how older adults have prepared for emergencies.

The poll results derive from a nationally representative survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for IHPI, administered online and by phone in August 2024 among 3,486 adults aged 50 to 94 across the United States. The sample was then weighted to represent the U.S. population. Read previous National Poll on Healthy Aging reports and learn about the poll methodology.