Abstract INTRODUCTION Treatment optimism—the belief that treatment efficacy will significantly improve over time—has been shown to influence help‐seeking for various diseases. Little is known, however, about treatment optimism in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS The National Poll on Healthy Aging surveyed a nationally representative sample of US older adults (N = 1292; mean age = 70. 9). Respondents were deemed treatment optimists if they agreed with the statement, “AD will one day become a manageable chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease. ” RESULTS Approximately half of the respondents (52. 9%) reported AD treatment optimism; associated with older age (odds ratio OR = 1. 05; 95% confidence interval CI = 1. 02, 1. 08), good/excellent health (OR = 1. 38; 95% CI = 1. 00, 1. 91), and income 100K: OR = 0. 63, 95% CI = 0. 43, 0. 92). CONCLUSION Findings suggest most US older adults show AD treatment optimism, though optimism differed by age, self‐reported health, and income. Research should examine how this phenomenon impacts help‐seeking (e. g. , for new AD therapies).
McCain et al. (2026) studied this question.