Seventy-seven percent of Americans reported taking dietary supplements, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s (CRN) 20th annual survey of consumer usage trends.  
 
“The average American diet is less than perfect,” noted Nancy Weindruch, vice president, communications, CRN. “We all have nutrient shortfalls to some extent.”
 
Across all age groups, the multivitamin continues to be the most prevalent product used to fill those gaps.  
 
In terms of what motivates people to take supplement, overall, the top priority cited was “maintaining my health.”
 
Based on age, for consumers 18-34, the second most common motivator was “my family”; for 35-54 year olds the second most cited motivator was “living a long life”; and for the 55+ group, “my doctor told me so” ranked second.
 
As for product format, younger consumers prefer drinks, gels, gummies, and powders, which are commonly found in the sports nutrition and weight management categories; older consumers often prefer more traditional capsules and tablets.
 
Cannabidiol (CBD) is used among all age groups, according to Weindruch. While more younger people are buying CBD overall, even those 55+ are “dabbling” in this market.
 
Trust in the safety, quality and efficacy of dietary supplement products has been strong at (76%) of those surveyed, Weindruch noted, “But we need to keep working to get that number higher.”
 
Consumers are most confident in vitamins and minerals, and less so for sports nutrition/weight management products. “We need to work on advancing the science while at the same time ridding the market of problematic products that taint the reputation of those categories,” said Weindruch.