August 2017

Page A28

AUGUST 2017

FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS

S ec t i on A

NEWS

Association

CONTINUED

NFDA Consumer Survey: Funeral Planning Not a

Priority for Americans

BROOKFIELD,WI—

For the fifth consecutive year, the

Na-

tional Funeral Directors Association’s

(NFDA) annu-

al Consumer Awareness and Preferences Study indicates

that consumers acknowledge the importance of preplan-

ning their own funeral, but fail to do so in practice. This

year’s findings reveal that 62.5 percent of consumers felt it

was very important to communicate their funeral plans and

wishes to family members prior to their own death, yet only

21.4 percent had done so.

Even though nearly two-thirds of Americans acknowledge

the importance of prearrangements, respondents cited several

factors as preventing them from planning, namely that pre-

planning is not a priority, that they have not thought about it,

or that prepaying is too costly.

Consumers are Not Shopping for their Funeral Homes

Key findings from the NFDA 2017 Consumer Awareness

and Preferences Study indicate that end-of-life services are

becoming increasingly personal, with families wanting new,

unique ways to honor and celebrate the lives of loved ones.

Despite this, most are not inquiring at multiple funeral

homes to compare costs and services offered. The percentage

of respondents who contacted more than one funeral home

was only 18.9 percent, and of those who visited/called more

than one funeral home, 52.3 percent did so to compare prices.

Every funeral home offers unique services and pricing

structure. To help families plan a meaningful tribute to their

loved one, NFDA recommends calling – or better yet, visit-

ing – several funeral homes to find one with licensed funeral

directors who understand their emotional needs and will be

sensitive to their budget.

According to NFDA’s survey, the way families choose to

honor and celebrate loved ones continues to evolve.

•

End-of-Life Services Outside of the Funeral Home –

Indi-

cating a shift away from the popularity of the funeral home

setting, almost half of respondents have attended a funeral

at a non-traditional location, such as a cemetery, an outdoor

setting, a home, or a similar meaningful location that repre-

sents the life and interests of the deceased.

•

Importance of Religious Components at All-Time Low –

The percent of respondents who feel it is very important

to have religion incorporated into a funeral service has de-

creased from 49.5 percent in 2012 to 39.5 percent in 2017,

an all-time low. This mirrors a broader trend of Americans

not identifying with a religion. As a result, families are turn-

ing to non-clergy celebrants, a specially trained officiant of

an end-of-life service, to

conduct ceremonies.

•

Green Funerals Gain-

ing Popularity –

Just over

half of respondents (53.8

percent) said they would

be interested in explor-

ing green memorializa-

tion options to reduce the

environmental impact of

end-of-life rituals. Green

services can include use

of biodegradable caskets,

a formaldehyde-free em-

balming process, recycled

paper products and more.

•

Therapy Dogs Guide Fu-

nerals from Start to Fin-

ish –

To bring comfort to

families, both while plan-

ning a funeral and during

the service itself, funeral

homes are offering certified

therapy dogs; 34.5 percent

of respondents said they

would be extremely inter-

ested or very interested in

having a therapy dog pres-

ent during a memorial or

funeral service.

•

Families Planning Me-

morial Services When

Choosing Cremation –

With the rate of cremation

surpassing that of burial,

more consumers want to

have a memorial service

when they choose crema-

tion (40.4 percent in 2017

vs. 35.1 percent in 2015).

Consumers are increas-

ingly aware that they can

view a prepared but not

embalmed body as part of

a service before cremation

(47.8 percent in 2017 vs.

39.7 percent in 2015).

The Consumer Awareness

and Preferences Study is

conducted annually to mea-

sure consumer perceptions

of funeral services. Invita-

tions are emailed to a con-

sumer panel consisting of

Americans age 40 and older,

with 1,013 individuals com-

pleting the study in 2017.

For more information,

please contact 800-228-

6332 or visit

www.nfda.org

The 2017 Consumer Awareness and Preferences Study

Reveals Inconsistency in Funeral Planning Practices

Tell Them You Saw Their Ad

FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS