Public confidence that federal health agencies are providing trustworthy public health information has fallen for the second consecutive year, according to a March 5 survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
The survey includes responses from a nationally representative sample of 1,650 U.S. adults collected Feb. 3-17.
Four things to know:
1. Trust in federal health agencies is declining. Public confidence that the CDC, FDA and National Institutes of Health are providing trustworthy public health information has steadily declined since 2024. Trust ranged from 74% to 76% that year, fell to 67% across the three agencies in 2025 and dropped again to 60% to 62% in 2026.
2. U.S. adults trust career scientists more than agency leaders. Two-thirds of respondents (67%) expressed confidence in career scientists at the CDC, NIH and FDA, compared with 43% who said the same about the leaders of those agencies. Only 5% said they were “very confident” in agency leaders, versus 18% who were very confident in career scientists.
3. Medical associations hold more public trust than federal agencies. U.S. adults reported higher levels of trust in medical associations to provide trustworthy public health information, including the American Heart Association (82%), American Academy of Pediatrics (77%) and American Medical Association (73%). These organizations exceeded confidence levels in the CDC (60%), NIH (62%) and FDA (62%).
4. Primary care providers remain the most trusted source for information. Respondents identified their own primary care provider as the most trusted source of public health information, with 86% expressing confidence — the highest of any entity measured in the survey.
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