Analysis of more than 4.5 million US survey responses reveals an increase from 5.3% to 7.4% in reporting cognitive disability, with a notable spike among 18–39 year olds and a significant impact of income and education
A new study suggests that memory, concentration, and decision-making problems are increasingly being reported, especially among young people in the United States, with socioeconomic factors playing a major role in the phenomenon. The findings were published inNeurology, Journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“Difficulties with memory and thinking have become one of the most commonly reported health issues among adults in the United States,” says study author Adam de Havenon, MD, MS, of Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. “Our study shows that the phenomenon is expanding, especially in young people, and that social and structural factors likely play a key role.”
A decade of data
To reach their conclusions, the researchers analyzed more than 4.5 million responses to annual surveys from 2013 to 2023. Respondents were asked: “Do you have a physical, mental, or emotional condition that makes it difficult for you to concentrate, remember, or make decisions?” Those who answered “yes” were classified as having a cognitive disability. Reports of people who reported depression were excluded from the analysis, and the year 2020 was also omitted due to the exceptional circumstances resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the decade, the overall prevalence of cognitive impairment in the United States rose from 5.3% in 2013 to 7.4% in 2023, with the first significant increase seen in 2016. The sharpest jump occurred among young people: under the age of forty, the rate almost doubled – from 5.1% to 9.7%. In contrast, among older people, there was a slight decrease: in those aged seventy and over, the prevalence fell from 7.3% to 6.6%.
While this is a self-report measure and not a diagnosis of cognitive impairment, de Havnon notes that the continued increase among young people reflects significant public health trends.
The researchers found that adults with a family income of less than $35,000 per year consistently reported the highest rates, rising from 8.8% to 12.6% over the study period. In contrast, rates were much lower among those with incomes of more than $75,000, rising from 1.8% to 3.9%. In terms of education, the rate among those without a high school diploma rose from 11.1% to 14.3%, while among those with a college degree it rose from 2.1% to 3.6%.
Patterns by race and ethnicity
Although most respondents were white, the increase was recorded in almost all ethnic groups:
- Native Americans and Alaska Natives: Highest prevalence, from 7.5% to 11.2%
- Hispanics: from 6.8% to 9.9%
- Blacks: from 7.3% to 8.2%
- Whites: from 4.5% to 6.3%
- Asians: from 3.9% to 4.8%
“The findings suggest that the steepest increases are occurring among people who are already structurally disadvantaged,” says de Havnon. “We need to better understand and address the deep socio-economic factors that may be driving this trend.”
He adds: “Further research is needed to unravel what is behind the large surge in young people, given the possible long-term implications for health, productivity in the labour market and health systems. It may reflect a real change in brain health, greater awareness and willingness to report, or other health and social factors. Either way – the increase is real, and it is particularly pronounced in those under forty.”
Limitations of the study include reliance on telephone surveys – a format that may be affected by respondents’ memory inaccuracies – as well as a broad definition of “disability.”
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It's pretty clear the coronavirus
The problem is the opposite, someone who has cognitive problems in advance will not be able to earn much and study for a degree, and it is not lack of learning and low income that causes cognitive problems, and the reason is probably too many social networks and the Internet, lack of social interaction, drugs, alcohol and psychiatric medications, food contamination with pesticides and heavy metals, chemical contamination in the air and on clothing, microplastics and perhaps even vaccines.