Americans’ confidence in their healthcare providers remained high, but confidence in the CDC, FDA and National Institutes of Health dropped by about 12 percentage points, a University of Pennsylvania survey found.
The Annenberg Science and Public Health survey, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center and published Aug. 31, surveyed 1,904 U.S. adults between Aug. 4-17, and compared those results to a survey conducted Sept. 13-30, 2024, among 1,744 adults.
Here are six survey findings.
1. The August 2026 survey found a 26-28 percentage point gap between Americans’ confidence in their personal provider and in three federal public health agencies, up from a 14-16 percentage point gap in September 2024.
2. Currently, 87% of respondents said they are confident that their physician, nurse or other primary care provider delivers trustworthy information about matters of public health. This is statistically unchanged from 88% in September 2024.
3. The survey found confidence in the CDC, FDA and NIH has significantly dropped from a high of 76% in 2024 to a high of 64% in 2026 since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term in February 2025. This is also the same month that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was confirmed as HHS Secretary.
4. Among respondents, 61% expressed confidence in the CDC, down from 72% in 2024. The proportion of people who were “very confident” in the CDC dropped from 29% to 13% in the same time period.
5. Confidence in the FDA fell from 73% in 2024 to 59% in 2026, with the share of people who said they are very confident in the FDA dropping from 23% to 11%.
6. Confidence in the NIH declined from 74% in 2024 to 61% in 2026. The percentage of people who said they are very confident in the NIH dropped from 27% to 12%.
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