Surveys show divided public support for life extension technology

Life expansion research has expanded rapidly in recent years as scientists work to develop products that could help slow down or even reverse aging. Different teams of researchers are leveraging a variety of approaches to alleviate the biological hallmarks of aging and free the human race from the misery of aging-related chronic diseases. But even as more billions are poured into the industry, understanding the attitude of the public towards longevity medicine is vital to secure support for longevity research. A new survey conducted in the US aimed to find out how many people would take a life extension pill if one was available today. It was completed by researchers from the University of Texas at Tyler and UT Southwestern Medical Center. A total of 900 adults were asked the question, “If doctors developed a pill that enabled you to live forever at your current age, would you take it?” The researchers framed the treatment in such a way that it would be perceived as legitimate, effective, and painless. Three cohorts of data were used in the analysis. The youngest cohort consisted of undergraduate students aged between 18 and 29. The other two cohorts were made up of older, healthy, community-dwelling adults. Scientists divided the older adults into two groups (60-84 and 85+ years of age) because they wanted to capture concerns about death and dying. Surprisingly, the responses in all three cohorts were very similar. Only about a third of in each group said they would take a life-extension pill. About a quarter were undecided and the remaining group (nearly a half) said they would not take the pill. Participants in the youngest cohort had not reached the average lifespan and could reasonably expect to live longer. Still, these findings suggest that should interventions to stop aging become available — young adults might miss out before they reach the age that older adults consider to be optimal. The data from this survey was very similar to a 2011 study of Australian adults. Six hundred participants were grouped into three cohorts based on age group (18 – 30, 31 – 50, and 51+ years). Only 35% — or about a third of the respondents — said that they would be willing to use life extension technology. This was seemingly contradictory because a total of 65% of the respondents had said that they supported longevity research. To attain a better understanding, the Australian study’s authors had included further questions. 58% of the participants had ethical and moral issues regarding life extension. Nearly half (48%) felt that life such technologies would do more harm than good while 39% felt that life extension pills would cause more personal harm and benefit. The results of these two studies show that the longevity industry did not garner much public support over the last decade. This is perhaps a good starting point to guide advocacy efforts and ensure that any resulting technologies are used effectively.