A new YouGov survey on weight, health, and weight loss medications finds that Americans are increasingly aware of semaglutide medications, which are a kind of antidiabetic and weight loss drugs. About one-quarter of Americans are interested in semaglutide, including greater shares of women and people who describe themselves as obese.
80% of Americans have heard at least a little about a kind of semaglutide, which is sold under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus. Awareness of semaglutide has gradually grown in the last few years, from 60% in March 2023 to 70% in March 2024 to 80% now. The share who have heard a lot about it has nearly doubled, to 41% from 23% in March 2023.
36% of Americans say they know someone who has taken semaglutide, including 7% who have themselves. 14% say a family member has taken semaglutide, 16% have a friend who has taken it, and 11% have an acquaintance who has taken it; some know people in more than one of these categories who have taken it . Women are more likely than me to know someone (including themselves) who has taken semaglutide (43% vs. 29%).
Semaglutide causes people to lose weight by suppressing their appetite and by slowing the rate at which food empties out of the stomach. Possible side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation. This information was included in a survey question that found 25% of Americans say they would be very (8%) or somewhat (17%) interested in taking it to lose weight; along with the 7% who have taken it, about one-third of Americans have either taken it or would be at least somewhat interested in doing so. 17% are not very interested in taking it and 45% are not at all interested in taking it. Women are more likely than men to say they would be interested in taking it to lose weight if it were available to them (29% vs. 20%). About as many women as men say they have already taken it (8% vs. 6%).
46% of people who describe their body weight as obese say they would be interested in taking semaglutide medications to lose weight. 22% of people who describe their body weight as overweight, a healthy weight, or underweight say the same.
27% of Americans believe semaglutide is very or somewhat safe; slightly more (32%) believe it is very or somewhat unsafe. Americans are more convinced of semaglutide’s efficacy: 57% think it is very or somewhat effective while only 5% think it is not very or not at all effective.
About one-third (34%) of Americans believe that for people who are obese and using drugs such as semaglutide to lose weight, the benefits significantly (11%) or somewhat (23%) outweigh the risks. 27% say the risks significantly (10%) or somewhat (17%) outweigh the benefits.
59% of Americans — including 64% of women and 54% of men — say prescription weight loss drugs should be covered by private insurance. A similar share of Americans (54%) say prescription weight loss drugs should be covered by Medicaid. 58% of women and 50% of men say this type of drug should be covered by Medicaid.
The survey also explored other topics related to health, weight, and body image.
Of 20 health behaviors asked about, the ones that the largest shares of Americans describe as essential are drinking water regularly (83%), having good mental health (79%), listening to your body’s needs (76%), avoiding smoking (75%), and managing stress (74%).
Americans 65 and older are more likely than younger adults to say that for physical health, it’s essential to avoid smoking (88% vs. 72%), listen to your body’s needs (87% vs. 79%), have good mental health (87% vs. 77%), and take prescribed medicine (79% vs. 52%).
About half (51%) of Americans think it’s helpful but not essential to avoid processed foods. Similar shares say it’s helpful but not essential to take vitamins or supplements (49%), to have visible muscle tone (49%), and to avoid alcohol consumption (46%).
Of the 20 behaviors asked about, the one that Americans are most likely to describe as not making much of a difference is having visible muscle tone (29%).
Very few describe any of the behaviors as detrimental; the largest share for any is the 7% who say getting vaccinated is detrimental to physical health.
11% of Americans rate their overall health as excellent. Larger shares describe their physical health as very good (22%), good (39%), or fair (21%). Only 5% of Americans describe their physical health as poor.
How often do Americans feel pressure to conform to societal standards of body size or weight? 9% say they almost always do, 13% usually do, 29% sometimes do, and 21% rarely do. About one-quarter (24%) of Americans say they never feel this pressure to conform — down from 34% who said this in March 2024.
Women are more likely than men to say they at least sometimes feel pressure to conform to body size or weight standards (60% vs. 42%). In March 2024, fewer women (52%) and men (34%) said they felt this pressure at least sometimes.
22% of Americans say they almost always (11%) or usually (11%) compare their body weight or size to others. 26% say they sometimes do this, 28% say they rarely do this, and 21% never do. Women are more likely than men to say they at least sometimes compare their body size or weight to others (58% vs. 37%).
Many Americans say they have experienced weight-based prejudice. 18% say they’ve experienced this in dating, 15% have experienced this in their family, and 13% have experienced this within the health care system.
People who describe their current body weight as obese are much more likely than people who describe their body as overweight, at a healthy weight, or underweight to say they’ve faced prejudice in each of the seven settings asked about. 40% of people who describe themselves as obese say they’ve faced prejudice in the dating scene; fewer people who say they are overweight (25%) or at a healthy weight (8%) say the same.
42% of people who say they are obese say they have faced discrimination in health care system settings. 14% people who say they are overweight and 7% of those who say they are at a healthy weight say the same.
Women are about twice as likely as men to say they’ve experienced weight-based prejudice within their families (20% vs. 9%) and in the health care system (18% vs. 8%).
Americans are about evenly split in how they view obesity: 39% say the statement “it is a complex chronic disease” comes closer to their view; 38% say the statement “It is the result of a lack of self-control” comes closer to their view. Women are more likely than men to see obesity more as a complex chronic disease (44% vs. 33%).
People who describe themselves as obese are more likely than people who describe themselves as overweight, at a healthy weight, or underweight to say obesity is a complex chronic disease (60% vs. 37%).
In March 2024, fewer Americans (33%) said the statement “it is a complex chronic disease” came closer to their view.
One-fifth (20%) of Americans — including 25% of men and 14% of women — believe society has gone too far in accepting people who are obese. 28% think society has been about right when it comes to accepting people who are obese, and 29% say society has not gone far enough in acceptance. 20% of men and 37% of women say society has not gone far enough.
62% of Americans say society is very or somewhat unaccepting of people who are obese; less than half as many (27%) say society is very or somewhat accepting of people who are obese. Among people who describe themselves as obese, 75% say society is unaccepting of people who are obese and only 21% say it is accepting.
Related:
- Americans' opinions on semaglutide and other weight loss approaches
- When it comes to weight loss, more would rather change what they eat than get in the gym
- Obesity-based prejudice: Most say it occurs at least somewhat often in dating, work, and health care
See the results for this YouGov survey
— Carl Bialik and Taylor Orth contributed to this article
Methodology: This article includes results from an online survey conducted May 22 - 25, 2025 among 1,109 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2024 presidential vote, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. 2024 presidential vote, at time of weighting, was estimated to be 48% Harris and 50% Trump. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given around November 8, 2024, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty
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