Survey shows more Americans choose cremation over burial
Have you thought about what to do with your body when you die? More Americans are choosing cremation over traditional burials, a new survey says.
A report by insurance firm Choice Mutual found 44% of Americans plan on being cremated, a 40% increase from the 1960s. Traditional burials were the second most popular choice, with 35% of Americans preferring the method.
Choice Mutual surveyed 1,500 people in the U.S. on their burial preferences and practices.
Other burial preferences include donating their bodies to science at 6% and being buried without a casket in the ground at 4%.
“People donate their bodies to science now because they want to help improve medical practices, and with the eco-friendly burials people are a lot more conscious of the environment,” said Morgen Henderson, a researcher at Choice Mutual, in a statement.
Americans also are opting for unique arrangements for their cremated remains, including launching them into space or having them compressed into a diamond.
The most popular option was having their ashes spread in a specific location (40%), followed by their ashes being kept by a family member (36%). One in 10 Americans who plan to be cremated want to be planted as a tree.
More Americans are shifting toward more non-traditional plans such as sea burial or plastination, a process that involves removing all fluids from the body and replacing them with a polymer or plasticlike substance.
“With the improvements and developments in technology, that has opened up a lot of different burial options,” Henderson said.