Overview

• The APPC poll, conducted Aug. 5–18 with a nationally representative sample of 1,699 adults, finds confidence at 64% for the CDC, 63% for the FDA, and 62% for the NIH, down notably from September 2024.
• Declines are concentrated among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, while Republicans report small gains in confidence since President Trump’s inauguration.
• Confidence in HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands at 39%, compared with 57% for Anthony Fauci as a provider of trustworthy public health information.
• Eighty-six percent of respondents express confidence in their own doctor, nurse, or primary care provider, a level unchanged since June 2023.
• In June 2025, Kennedy removed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an action cited in the report’s context on public perceptions.