Social media influencers and podcasters are increasingly becoming one of the primary resources many Americans, especially Gen Z women, turn to for health and wellness information, according to a recent study.
The Pew Research Center released a survey on Monday, reporting that 57% of women between the ages of 18 and 29 said they get health and wellness information from influencers. This is 10 points higher than for young men in the same age group, of whom 47% said the same.
Data for the report comes from two waves of the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. Researchers surveyed 5,023 panelists from June 9 to June 15, 2025, and 5,111 panelists from October 20 to 26, 2025.
The report notes that while medical professionals remain the primary source of health information for Americans, many seek advice outside of the doctor’s office through social media and podcasts.
“We conducted this study to better understand who Americans turn to for health and wellness information on social media,” the researchers said in a statement.
The researchers said they “asked about seven topics people are likely to hear from health and wellness influencers.” “More than half of both young men and young women say they hear about almost all of these topics at least sometimes.”
Researchers found significant differences in the types of health topics young men and women heard from influencers.
Among young people who receive health and wellness information from influencers, 51% of women said they often ask about beauty and appearance. By comparison, only 18% of young men said the same.
Young women are about twice as likely as young men to report frequently viewing content about treatments outside of mainstream medicine, also known as alternative medicine. 21 percent of young women said they often encounter such content, compared to 10 percent of young men.
Despite these differences, some health topics received similar levels of attention between both groups. The survey found that similar proportions of young men and young women say they often hear about mental health and weight loss from influencers.
“More than a third of both groups said they often hear about these topics,” the report said. “And more than half of young men and women say they often watch fitness content.”
This study investigated why young adults seek health and wellness information from influencers and podcasts.
Almost half (51%) of young women who received health information from influencers said they wanted to make changes to their health or lifestyle, while 37% of young men said the same.
Young women were also more likely than young men to say they turn to influencers because they want to hear the opinions of people with the same background and beliefs as them. 23 percent of young women cited it as their main reason, compared to 14 percent of young men.
Additionally, nearly one in five young women (19%) say learning about topics they don’t want to ask their doctor is the main reason they seek health information from influencers, nearly double the 10% of young men who said the same.
The findings come as experts and Christian ministries continue to examine the impact of an increasingly digital culture on young people’s well-being.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
