Poll reveals plunging trust in CDC guidance but broad backing for childhood vaccines – CIDRAP

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More than a year into President Donald Trump’s second term, poll findings released today show that trust in federal public health agencies has nosedived, with half of US adults skeptical of recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but most Americans are supportive of childhood vaccines.
The poll also found that, while over half of respondents are in favor of recent changes to the US food pyramid and dietary guidelines, support for some of the alterations varies sharply by political bent.
The de Beaumont Foundation’s Public Health Listening Lab and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted the poll of 2,205 adults from across the country from March 19 to April 1.
The poll found that only 50% of adults feel they can rely on CDC health recommendations, down from 77% a year ago. Similarly, the proportion who have confidence in their state or local health department has fallen from 80% to 66% and 82% to 70%, respectively. Faith in these health departments is now much higher than that in both the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (53%).
“The relatively smaller declines in trust in state and local public health agencies suggest a critical opportunity for these organizations to step into leadership roles,” the authors wrote. “As gaps in trust and leadership at the federal level emerge, state and local health agencies are better positioned—and increasingly expected—to step forward and lead the nation’s health efforts through tailored, empathic outreach and communications that meet communities where they are.”
The depth of trust erosion varied widely by demographic group and political affiliation. Women’s confidence fell from 80% to 48%, while Black and Hispanic respondents’ trust plummeted from 77% to 43% and 81% to 50%, respectively. Comparable drops were seen among people living in urban areas, from 80% to 48%, and among college graduates, from 80% to 46%.
The relatively smaller declines in trust in state and local public health agencies suggest a critical opportunity for these organizations to step into leadership roles.
Likewise, trust tumbled from 92% to 34% among Democrats and 77% to 47% among Independents, while Republicans became slightly more trusting, rising from 63% to 67%.
Just over half of Americans disapprove of federal health agencies’ actions in the past year, with objections again tied to political affiliation. In total, 86% of Democrats disagree with the actions, compared with just 20% of Republicans.
The most-cited concerns about federal health agency moves include leaders who are guided by their personal beliefs (68%) or focused on the wrong priorities (66%); the slashing of public health programs (61%); decisions made through non-standard processes (60%); and wholesale cuts to government funding for medical research (60%).
Under half (46%) of adults agree that federal agencies have allowed families to make their own health decisions (46%) or have been trying to do the right thing (44%). And only about one-third agree that agency recommendations are based on the best available science (38%), have improved the health of average Americans (37%), or have represented the best interests of people like them (35%).
Of interest, support for childhood vaccines is still strong, with 91% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans supporting school vaccination mandates. Overall, 77% of the public back these mandates, a proportion that hovered between 74% to 79% from 2021 to 2025.
This support, however, may be eroding, the authors noted. In total, 58% of adults object to cutting vaccines from the childhood vaccination schedule, while 42% agree with the reductions. And 65% of Republicans back the cuts, compared with only 18% of Democrats.
While the vast majority (89%) of Americans say that childhood vaccines are safe, this proportion had been 94% during the COVID-19 pandemic peak in 2021 and 2022. The fraction of the public agreeing that childhood vaccines are very safe has also fallen, from 70% to 57% over the same period. 
Social media and news coverage tend to elevate the loudest voices that question or outright oppose vaccines, so it can often feel like there is a rise in anti-vaccine sentiment amongst the general public. 
Gillian SteelFisher, PhD
By political bent, 85% of Republicans and 96% of Democrats say that childhood vaccines are very or somewhat safe, but fewer members of both parties say they are very safe (46% of Republicans vs 76% of Democrats).
“Social media and news coverage tend to elevate the loudest voices that question or outright oppose vaccines, so it can often feel like there is a rise in anti-vaccine sentiment amongst the general public,” survey lead Gillian SteelFisher, PhD, principal research scientist at Harvard Chan School,” said in a de Beaumont news release.
“The reality is that the vast majority of people support vaccines for children and believe they are safe,” she added. Yet, “It is true that many families are questioning the necessity of vaccines and weighing what vaccine requirements mean for their parental authority.”
Most Americans (60%) back recent changes to the food pyramid and dietary guidelines, with even stronger support for recommendations to avoid or limit sugar and highly processed foods (90%) and increase protein intake (85%). About the same percentage (62%) agree with recommendations to increase beef and whole-milk consumption.
By political affiliation, 94% of Republicans favor limiting sugar and highly processed foods, compared with 89% of Democrats, with a respective 92% and 79% agreeing with increased protein consumption. 
But support for changes to the food pyramid is politically divided, at 83% of Republicans and 37% of Democrats. Likewise, backing is lower and sharply divided by political party for recommendations to increase the consumption of beef and whole milk (80% of Republicans vs 44% of Democrats).
While policymakers may propose different solutions to public health challenges, “It’s important for them to be grounded in a common set of facts,” Brian Castrucci, DrPH, de Beaumont president and CEO, said in the release. “Science should not be a point of view. Once facts are politicized, it becomes increasingly difficult to bridge the divide.”
The authors say that working across political divides is essential for developing policies and programs that improve health and well-being across the country. “Supporting state and local public health agencies in fostering this dialogue and sharing information with the public in a way that accounts for differing perspectives will be an essential element in bringing people together,” they wrote.
The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 2.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval.
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