Consumers Positive About Massage

 

Consumers Positive About Massage

Most adult Americans (74 percent) now recognize massage as therapeutic. About half (51 percent) of the population believe that massage is beneficial for people of all ages. These are some of the results of the third, most recent, Opinion Research Corporation survey of consumer attitudes about massage commissioned by AMTA.

A comparison of figures from July 1997, August 1998, and August 1999 shows a rapid rise in public acceptance of massage and a steady increase in the number of people seeking massage. This year, 27 percent of 1,007 adults said they have had a massage from a massage therapist in the last 5 years, compared to 22 percent in 1998 and 17 percent in 1997. The increase was especially noticeable in the 45-to-54 year-old group: 31 percent reported this year that they had a massage in the last 5 years, compared to 22 percent just a year ago.

The number of people who had a massage in the previous 12 months also has increased steadily from 8 percent in 1997, to 13 percent in 1998, to 15 percent in 1999. Equally dramatic is the drop in the percentage of people who say they would not consider having a massage. In 1997, 24 percent of respondents said they would not get a massage; in 1999 only 14 percent had that view.

Much of this rapid acceptance may be directly related to media coverage of massage and AMTA’s efforts to provide accurate information about the profession to the public. In 1998, 40 percent of adults said they remembered seeing something in the media about massage in the last 2 years. In 1999, that number increased to 46 percent. Only 6 percent of respondents reported this year that media stories made any negative impressions on them about massage, while 55 percent said media coverage made a positive or very positive impact on their view. AMTA intends to continue to influence acceptance and usage among consumers through the media.

 

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Longevity Concepts Eric D. Hieger, Psy.D., LMT, CPT Telephone: 631-871-6344 E-Mail: EricH@longevityconcepts.com

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