Doctors and other health care providers are the public’s most trusted source of health information, while trust in government health agencies and officials is much more divided. A large majority of adults express at least “a fair amount” of trust in their doctor for reliable information about health issues, while half say they trust the CDC or FDA and fewer than half express trust in their state government officials, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., or President Trump.
Partisanship shapes who the public trusts for health information, especially when it comes to Secretary Kennedy and President Trump. Two-thirds of Republicans, rising to three-quarters among MAGA-supporting Republicans, say they trust Secretary Kennedy and President Trump for reliable health information compared to one-third or fewer independents and Democrats who say the same. On the other hand, Democrats are somewhat more likely than Republicans to trust their state officials for health information, while similar shares of Democrats and Republicans say they trust the CDC or FDA. Individual health care providers are the most-trusted source for health information across partisanship.
Across demographic groups – including age, gender, race and ethnicity, and education – health care providers remain the most trusted source of health information. For other health information sources, trust does not differ consistently across most of these groups, but White adults and those without a college degree are more likely than their peers to express trust in Secretary Kennedy and President Trump for health information.
