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.