# More Americans pick 90 or older as the right age to die

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/health/more-americans-pick-90-or-older-as-the-right-age-to-die/
Published: 2026-07-13

> Featured topic in Health.

44.6% of U.S. adults say the ideal age to die is 90 or older, more than any other answer and nearly double the 23.1% who say 85 to 89; just 3.1% say under 70.

## Topline: The ideal age to die

Considering both quality and quantity of life, 44.6% of U.S. adults put the ideal age to die at 90 or older, more than any other answer. The next most common choice is 85 to 89, at 23.1%.

Preferences skew long across the board: 17.9% say 80 to 84, 7.6% say 75 to 79, 3.6% say 70 to 74 and just 3.1% say under 70.

## 90 or older leads every other answer

44.6% of adults choose 90 or older as the ideal age to die, nearly double the 23.1% who choose 85 to 89.

Fewer choose each younger band: 17.9% say 80 to 84, 7.6% say 75 to 79, 3.6% say 70 to 74 and 3.1% say under 70.

## Who picks 90 or older

Black adults (56.4%) and adults 65 and older (50.3%) are the most likely to name 90 or older, compared with 42.2% of White adults and 36.3% of adults under 30.

By region, 50.9% in the Northeast pick 90 or older, versus 34.3% in the Midwest.

## Legacy matters, but deep investment is a minority view

64.4% of adults say leaving a legacy beyond their family is at least somewhat important, the sum of 28.6% somewhat, 20.4% very and 15.4% extremely important. Only 35.8% (20.4% very plus 15.4% extremely) call it very or extremely important.

21.0% say a legacy is not too important and 14.5% not at all important. The racial divide is wide: 33.2% of Black adults call a legacy extremely important, versus 11.2% of White adults.

## Supporting evidence

### 44.6% of adults say the ideal age to die is 90 or older; 23.1% say 85 to 89.

Question: Considering both quality and quantity of life, what do you think would be the ideal age to die?

Note: Shows the distribution of answers for the ideal age to die.

Topline:

- 90 or older: 44.6%
- 85-89: 23.1%
- 80-84: 17.9%
- 75-79: 7.6%
- 70-74: 3.6%

### 35.8% call leaving a legacy beyond family very or extremely important (20.4% very plus 15.4% extremely).

Question: Excluding any children or other family you might have, how important is it to you that you leave a legacy for people to remember you by after you die?

Note: Shows how important leaving a legacy beyond family is to adults.

Topline:

- Somewhat important: 28.6%
- Not too important: 21.0%
- Very important: 20.4%
- Extremely important: 15.4%
- Not at all important: 14.5%

## Methodology

- Mode: Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
- Population: US adults age 18+
- Field dates: 2026-05-21 → 2026-05-26
- Base (unweighted): 1,000
- Margin of error: +/- 3.1%
- Module: Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2026-052
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Sources

- [Considering both quality and quantity of life, what do you think would be the ideal age to die?](https://reports.verasight.io/r/aapor-2026#q-27): reports.verasight.io/r/aapor-2026: Shows the distribution of answers for the ideal age to die.
- [Excluding any children or other family you might have, how important is it to you that you leave a legacy for people to remember you by after you die?](https://reports.verasight.io/r/aapor-2026#q-28): reports.verasight.io/r/aapor-2026: Shows how important leaving a legacy beyond family is to adults.

## Citation

Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2026-052, fielded May 21-26, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.1%.

Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/aapor-2026#q-27](https://reports.verasight.io/r/aapor-2026#q-27)