The Cremation Paradox: Why Many People Choose Cremation They Didn't Plan On

Cremation has risen steadily for decades, and it’s now the most common choice in the United States. It’s natural to read that as a preference: Americans have embraced cremation. A 2025 survey suggests the story is more complicated, and the gap it found is worth knowing about if you’re planning ahead.

What did the survey find?

The Wake Forest Law Survey on Consumer Preferences in Death Care, led by law professor Tanya Marsh, asked a nationally representative sample of more than 1,500 American adults about six legal methods of disposition: cremation, casket burial, green burial, donation to science, water cremation, and human composting. People were shown definitions in a random order, asked whether they’d heard of each and whether they’d consider it, and then asked to rank them.

The headline results:

• 72.6% said they would consider cremation
• 33.4% ranked cremation as their actual first choice; casket burial edged it out at 35.9%
• The real-world cremation rate is about 62% (CANA reports 62.8% for 2025), nearly double the share who rank it first

That gap is the “paradox”: far more people are cremated than say it’s their first choice.

What about newer options?

The survey also found that many people hadn’t heard of them but were open once they learned more:

Option	Heard of it	Would consider it	Notes
Green burial	47.5%	56.4% (after a short definition)	About one-third ranked it first or second
Water cremation	24%	39.3% (after learning about it)
Human composting	not reported in our sources	40.4%	5.9% ranked it first

Remember that most of these options aren’t available in every state; see water cremation and human composting.

Do generations differ?

Yes. According to the survey results Wake Forest published, first-choice preferences by generation were:

	Casket burial	Cremation	Green burial	Donation to science	Composting	Water cremation
Gen Z	52%	17%	13%	11%	5%	2%
Millennials	36%	33%	11%	11%	7%	2%
Gen X	32%	38%	9%	13%	6%	2%
Baby boomers	27%	41%	11%	13%	6%	2%

Professor Marsh highlights that 51.7% of Gen Z respondents ranked casket burial first, compared with 27.1% of baby boomers, and the survey’s summary describes this as a surprising resurgence of interest in “traditional” burial among the youngest adults. These are what people said in a survey, not what they will do.

Why the gap? What the survey can and can’t say

What it found: a large gap between stated first choice and actual practice.

What it did not do: the survey did not ask respondents to explain their reasoning, and it intentionally left out costs because they vary dramatically by region. So any explanation of the gap is an inference.

Marsh’s inference is that the numbers strongly imply that many Americans are choosing cremation not because it’s their top preference, but because their actual first choice is either unavailable or too expensive. The advocacy group The Order of the Good Death, which helped fund the first iteration of the survey in 2024, offers a similar reading: that people choose cremation for price, availability, and the portability of cremated remains, and because they don’t want the price, environmental impact, and rigidity of so-called traditional burial.

Those are plausible readings, but neither is a measured finding. Other factors could also play a part. For example, the survey asks what people prefer in the abstract, while the decision after a death is often made by family members under time pressure, and may reflect what the person who died said or didn’t say.

What does this mean for planning?

Whatever the cause, the gap points to a practical lesson: a default can differ from what you’d choose. If your wishes aren’t written down and shared, your family may choose based on cost, convenience, or what’s available. A few steps help:

1. Decide what you actually want, not just what’s easiest. If you don’t know yet, that’s fine; note that you’re undecided and what matters most to you
2. Check what’s available where you live. Water cremation and composting are legal in a minority of states, and Texas allows neither
3. Write it down and tell your family. See burial vs. cremation: planning ahead
4. Note your reasons. “I want a place my grandchildren can visit” or “I want the simplest, lowest-cost option” helps your family honor your wishes if your first choice isn’t possible
5. Name a backup. If your first choice isn’t available, what’s second?
6. Ask about cost. Cremation can be simple (see direct cremation vs. cremation with service) or can include a full service

Add this to your Final Day Plan: your first choice, your backup, and your reasons. If you aren’t sure yet, choose the “I don’t know yet” option and note what matters most to you.

Survey figures are as reported by Wake Forest Law and its lead researcher; the survey measured stated preferences. This is general information and not financial or legal advice.