We’re not looking to go six feet under when we die. We’d rather go up in smoke.
A new report from the National Funeral Directors finds 50.3% of Americans chose cremation in 2016, compared to 43.5% who want burial. Attitudes have been trending that way for some time. “It has gone from 5% in the Houston area to, I would guess, 60% or better, and this is over the last 38 years,” says David Massey, owner of Affinity Memorial Center on West Airtex in Houston. The NFDA says 2015 was the first year more people chose to remain above ground than below, and the trend is expected to continue, driven mostly by costs. “With a cremation you don’t have to purchase cemetery property, you don’t have to pay for a memorial service, which probably saves four to seven-thousand dollars,” says Massey.
The NFDA predicts that by 2035 78% of people will chose cremation.