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Americans trust AMA over CDC for vaccine advice
Despite greater public trust in the AMA over the CDC, survey data shows a concerning trend of uncertainty and confusion regarding vaccines and autism.
As vaccine guidance from America's public health leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to diverge from the traditional advice given by doctors, new data from the Annenberg Public Policy Center offers insight into who patients take more seriously.
By and large, patients are more likely to trust the major professional health associations that represent their doctors, such as the American Medical Association (AMA), than the CDC for vaccine advice, according to APPC's surveying of more than 1,000 U.S. adults.
Patient trust in the AMA's vaccine policy and messaging trumps trust in the CDC by a 2-1 margin, the researchers said. Faced with conflicting advice from the two groups, 35% of patients said they'd be more likely to accept the AMA's vaccine recommendations and 16% said they'd trust the CDC.
These findings are notable, as healthcare professionals nationwide have grappled with a changing CDC.
The confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services heralded in new policies shaped by the Make America Healthy Again agenda, which leans vaccine skeptical. RFK Jr. is also responsible for reshaping the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, filling it with individuals who have historically discredited vaccines.
Ultimately, that's culminated in changes in vaccine advice. For example, CDC stopped recommending everyone to get a COVID-19 booster, instead saying only those over age 65 or at increased risk should get it and others should consult with a doctor.
At the same time, major professional medical societies, such as the AMA and its peers, have continued issuing their usual vaccine guidance, for the first time diverging from the CDC. According to the APPC researchers, differences occurred because the CDC now consults a different body of scientific knowledge.
This latest survey addresses that conflict, specifically exploring whether patients place greater trust in the CDC or their doctors, as represented by the AMA.
AMA or CDC: Who do patients trust?
As noted above, patients trust the AMA over the CDC by a 2-1 margin. This trend defies political affiliation, the survey showed.
For example, whether messages conflicted or not, 43% of individuals identifying as Democrats said they'd trust the AMA's recommendations about vaccine safety, compared to just 18% who would trust the CDC. For self-identified Republications, those figures were 31% and 13%, respectively. Meanwhile, 31% of those who identify as independents would accept the AMA recommendations versus 18% who said they'd trust the CDC.
It's when messages conflict that trust starts to wane, the data showed, especially for Republicans.
When the AMA and CDC issue statements in conflict with each other, 32% of Republicans said they'd take neither organization's advice. That compares to 8% of Democrats and 23% of independents.
"Political party differences here are not surprising," Ken Winneg, APPC's managing director of survey research, said in a statement. "The different willingness to rely on the AMA vs. the CDC, based on political party, is consistent with research showing that partisanship is now a clear factor in health perceptions. But it's important to note that most independents, Democrats and Republicans would accept an AMA recommendation over a CDC one about vaccine safety."
There were also some differences by age, the survey showed. The older an individual was, the more likely they were to trust the AMA over the CDC when presented with conflicting advice. Young adults aged 18-29 were the only cohort to trust the CDC over the AMA.
Overall, confidence in CDC's vaccine guidance hangs at around 52%, while 21% are not at all confident in the CDC and 27% are "not too confident."
Changing CDC guidance fuels uncertainty
Perhaps more than anything, the changes in CDC guidance has led to uncertainty and confusion, as opposed to overall distrust in AMA and the nation's doctors, the survey showed.
Take, for example, the CDC's stance on vaccines and autism.
In November 2025, the agency updated its website with a message stating that "the claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism." It also wrote that "studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities."
Neither statement is scientifically accurate, and both prompted outcry from the AMA, which called the changes "reckless and harmful."
Indeed, 52% of the survey respondents said their views align more closely with CDC's pre-November statements. In other words, a bit more than half the public does not believe that vaccines cause autism.
But generally speaking, the public isn't even sure what the CDC says on its website, with 50% of survey respondents saying as much. Another 20% correctly said the CDC had updated its website to link vaccines to autism, while 19% incorrectly said the CDC had made no such change.
In other words, the public isn't always aware when the CDC makes changes, and if they are aware, they aren't sure what to believe. According to Patrick E. Jamieson, APPC's Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute, CDC likely sowed this confusion itself.
"A possible source of confusion is the continuing presence on the CDC site of the header 'Vaccines do not cause autism' which, according to an asterisk linked to it, 'has not been removed due to an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that it would remain on the CDC website,'" Jamieson said in a statement.
"This crafty move has honored the letter but not the spirit of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s pledge to Senator Bill Cassidy (R., LA) that the CDC would not 'remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.'"
Regardless of CDC messaging, the public's understanding that vaccines do not cause autism has been waning, APPC data showed. For example, in April 2021, 71% of Americans said vaccines were not linked to autism. By October 2023, that number had dropped to 65%.
That's concerning news, as public health leaders consider the impacts on overall childhood vaccination rates. With more people believing vaccines cause autism, there's a risk that fewer kids will get vaccinated.
"Even before Covid-19, our survey data were showing an increase in those who believe that either a particular vaccine or the number of childhood vaccinations cause autism," said Laura A. Gibson, an APPC research analyst. "If that sentiment leads to fewer life-saving vaccinations, there may be tragic consequences for some children and communities."
This latest survey data indicates that the American public is unsure what to believe about vaccines, including whether they cause autism. However, the data also shows that the public has strong trust in medical professional societies, and therefore their doctors. To combat misinformation peddled by the CDC, healthcare professionals must uncover the best channels for communicating with patients.
Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.
