A greater percentage of respondents — 52% — placed access and costs among the top three public health priorities. The Rollins-Gallup Public Health Priorities survey asked 2,121 U.S. adults about their biggest public health concerns, how the government could most effectively address them and what sources of information they trust most. The online survey was conducted between Dec. 2-15.
Four key findings:
- Twenty-five percent of respondents selected access and affordability as their highest priority when asked about 15 issues. Eighteen percent chose food and water safety as their top priority issue while 11% chose reducing chronic disease.
- Overall, 37% of respondents included food and water safety among their top three public health priorities; 32% said addressing chronic diseases was among their top three.
- Most Americans agree that the federal government could more effectively address these issues than state governments, the findings showed. For instance, 75% of respondents who chose access and affordability as a top priority said the federal government is better suited to address this issue than state governments. The same was true among those who identified pandemic preparedness, strengthening safety net programs and addressing health effects of climate change as top priority issues.
- When asked about their most trusted sources of public health information, respondents chose their healthcare providers (54%), scientific research (42%) and the CDC (37%) as their top three. Political officials were among the least trusted sources of information on public health issues.
“The survey reinforces that Americans, across demographics and party lines, mostly agree on the public health issues that touch their daily lives,” Stephen Patrick, MD, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Atlanta-based Emory University, said in a Feb. 4 statement. “Public health is at a crossroads, but the survey is clear — Americans think we have more work to do. Prioritizing these issues in the new administration could be unifying.”
The survey report can be found in full here.
