Social media influencers and podcasters are increasingly becoming one of the leading resources many Americans turn to for health and wellness information, especially among Generation Z women, a recent study shows.
The Pew Research Center published the findings Monday, reporting that 57% of women ages 18 to 29 say they get health and wellness information from influencers. That’s 10 percentage points higher than young men in the same age group, 47% of whom said the same.
The data in the report comes from two waves of the American Trends Panel (ATP), Pew Research Center’s 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 Oct. 20 to 26, 2025.
While the report notes that medical professionals remain the primary source of health information for Americans, many people also seek guidance outside the doctor’s office through social media and podcasts.
“We did this study to better understand who Americans might be hearing from when they get health and wellness information on social media,” the researchers said in a statement.
“We asked about seven topics that people might hear about from health and wellness influencers,” the researchers said. “Half or more of both young men and young women say they hear about nearly all of these topics at least sometimes.”
Researchers found notable differences in the kinds of health topics young men and women say they encounter from influencers.
Among young adults who receive health and wellness information from influencers, 51% of women said they often hear about beauty and appearance. By comparison, only 18% of young men said the same.
Young women are around twice as likely as young men to report frequently seeing content about therapies outside of mainstream medicine, also known as alternative medicine. Twenty-one percent of young women said they often encounter that content, compared with 10% of young men.
Despite those differences, several health topics attracted similar levels of attention among both groups. According to the research, comparable shares of young men and young women said they often hear about mental health and weight loss from influencers.
“A third or more of both groups say they often hear about these topics,” the report stated. “And around half or more of both young men and young women say they often see fitness content.”
The survey explored why younger adults seek health and wellness information from influencers and podcasts.
Around half (51%) of young women who receive health information from influencers cited wanting to make a change in their health or lifestyle as the reason for doing so, 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 from people who share their background or beliefs. Twenty-three percent of young women identified that as a major reason, compared with 14% of young men.
In addition, nearly one in five young women (19%) said learning about topics they don’t want to ask a doctor about is a major reason they get 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 the well-being of young adults.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
