Changing Funeral Preferences: NFDA’s First-of-Its-Kind Generational Report Now Available

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, has released an unprecedented study examining consumer attitudes toward funeral service across generations. Available to funeral service professionals for download at no charge, Changing Consumer Preferences: A Generational Perspective on Attitudes Toward Funeral Service provides critical insights to help funeral service professionals adapt to evolving expectations and continue delivering meaningful memorial experiences. More than just presenting data, this report serves as a tool, offering prompts to help funeral directors reflect on what the findings mean for their businesses and providing ideas for serving all members of grieving families, regardless of their generation.

Conducted by Bridge Market Research on behalf of NFDA, this groundbreaking report surveyed Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Zers (age 18 and older) in the United States to explore their perspectives on funeral service, final disposition preferences, communication about end-of-life plans and the role of funeral directors. Key findings include:

• Younger generations view funeral directors as valuable experts and trusted professionals, with Gen Z expressing the strongest belief in their importance.
• While 56% of respondents agree that it is important to commemorate a loved one with a funeral or memorial service, younger generations are more likely to emphasize the importance of viewing the body.
• The preference for cremation remains strong, with 50% of Americans favoring it, though Gen Z shows a greater preference for traditional burial than older generations.
• Nearly two-thirds (62%) of adults have discussed their own funeral plans with family members, yet Gen Z is the least likely to have done so.
• A significant majority (91%) of Americans believe that talking about death is healthy and normal, though many remain uncomfortable with these discussions. 

“NFDA is committed to conducting meaningful, independent research that empowers funeral service professionals with the knowledge they need to serve families with excellence,” said Stephanie Wagner, NFDA chief marketing officer. “This report offers invaluable insights into how different generations perceive funerals, providing funeral directors with data-driven guidance to better support the evolving needs of the communities they serve.” 

NFDA has engaged in a highly successful consumer public relations campaign around the report findings. The multi-faceted campaign generated 1,642 media placements and more than 785 million media and digital impressions. This effort is part of NFDA’s long-term strategy to generate positive media coverage that highlights the value of meaningful memorialization and the expertise of funeral directors. 

NFDA is making this report available to all funeral service professionals, regardless of membership status, as part of its commitment to advancing the profession. Funeral professionals can access Changing Consumer Preferences: A Generational Perspective on Attitudes Toward Funeral Service at no charge by vising NFDA.org/Research. 

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 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, visit NFDA.org.

In a press release we received last week funeral home and cemetery operator/consolidator Service Corporation International (SCI) announced the opening of its new property in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

According to the press release that you can read here, the company’s Arlington Memorial Park is “the first memorial structure of its kind designed and built as a permanent resting place”.   The press release goes on to say, “Fitted with porcelain floors and floor-to-ceiling inurnment spaces, Legacy Chapel includes a combination of 1,900 niches and 800 crypts with options for family members to rest in peace together, adjacent to an indoor-outdoor event space for funeral gatherings and receptions.”

David Hass, senior managing director of Arlington Memorial Park made these prepared comments in the press release, “We took special care to design Legacy Chapel with new features such as illuminated glass-front niches in which family members may display and view their loved one’s cherished mementos or keepsakes.  We also built-in an event space that is, at once, intimate for small gatherings or expansive enough to accommodate large groups with beautiful, natural lighting and, creating a unique memorial option for families.”

Here is the website for Arlington Memorial Park where you can see photos and learn more about this memorialization option from SCI.

Photos from Arlington Memorial Park, including some of the new Legacy Chapel.

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