Opinions on the seriousness of the opioid epidemic in the U.S. as of 2017, by age
This statistic displays the percentage of U.S. adults who thought the opioid epidemic was a serious problem as of 2017, by age. According to the survey, 60 percent of survey respondents aged 65 years and older indicated that the opioid epidemic was very serious. Opioids are a substance that act on opioid receptors in the brain and are primarily used as a pain relieving drug. Opioids are highly addictive and can cause fatal overdose when used outside of medicinal practices.