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Public Trust in FDA and CDC Remains Low, Shaped by Partisan Shifts and Misinformation

A new KFF poll reveals fewer than half of Americans trust federal health agencies to perform core functions, with confidence in vaccine safety and agency independence particularly low.

Overview

  • Only 42% of Americans express confidence in the FDA and CDC to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, with 46% trusting prescription drug safety and 45% trusting vaccine safety.
  • Just 32% of the public believes these agencies can act independently without outside interference, highlighting concerns about their autonomy.
  • Democrats' trust in the FDA and CDC has dropped nearly 20 percentage points since 2023, while Republicans' trust has increased by about 10 points under the current administration.
  • Nearly half of Americans have encountered the false claim that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines alter DNA, though only 3% believe it to be definitively true.
  • KFF President Drew Altman warns that persistently low and partisan-driven trust in scientific agencies poses significant risks for future pandemic preparedness.