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47% of patients trust CDC, down from start of RFK Jr. tenure
With fewer patients trusting the CDC for vaccine information, healthcare professionals need to step in to fill an information vacuum that could have public health consequences.
Trust in public health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to backslide, with recent KFF polling showing trust down more than 10 percentage points since the start of the Trump administration.
According to the latest tranche of KFF data, 47% of Americans trust the CDC for accurate vaccine information and guidance. That's down just slightly from September, when 50% said they trust the CDC, but significantly from September 2025, when 59% said they trusted the agency.
Overall patient trust in the CDC is also down significantly from previous presidential administrations, KFF showed. In September 2023, when Joe Biden was in office, overall trust in the CDC to give accurate vaccine information was at 63%.
Indeed, KFF found that people of most political beliefs have grown mistrustful of public health agencies, showing serious reductions in trust among Democrats (88% in September 2023 versus 55% now) and independents (61% in September 2023 versus 46% now). For Republicans, trust has grown only modestly from 40% in 2023 to 43% now.
These changes in public trust come after a tumultuous year for public health and healthcare agencies in general.
In June 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replaced them with individuals who typically hold more vaccine-skeptical views.
Later that month, ACIP voted to remove thimerosal, a rarely used mercury-based preservative used for multi-dose formulas, from flu vaccines. This move didn't necessarily protect the public from any danger, critics said, but instead might have contributed to waning credibility in vaccines overall.
Next, in December 2025, ACIP began debating the merits of the nation's childhood vaccine schedule, which ultimately resulted in reducing the number of recommended vaccines early in 2026.
These moves were met with industry resistance, with major medical societies and their clinician members continuing to endorse traditional vaccine guidance.
Amid the chaos, consumer trust -- especially in public health agencies -- is waning, the KFF survey showed.
For example, only 38% of Americans trust government health agencies to make decisions based on science, and only 34% trust those agencies to make decisions without interference from outside interests.
Meanwhile, more than half of the American public across any political affiliation somewhat or strongly disapproves of RFK Jr.'s performance handling his job as HHS Secretary. Another 55% disapprove of his job handling U.S. vaccine policy.
Declining trust in the nation's public health entities begs the question: who do patients trust?
"Six years ago, 85% of Americans, and 90% of Republicans, trusted the CDC. Now less than half trust the CDC on vaccines," KFF President and CEO Drew Altman said in a press release about the data. "The wars over COVID, science and vaccines have left the country without a trusted national voice on vaccines, and that trust will take time to restore."
Although an uphill battle, healthcare providers have the opportunity to help rebuild that trust.
Patient trust hinges on provider relationships
Although the KFF survey did not explore which other healthcare messengers patients do trust for vaccine and public health information, separate studies have largely indicated that patients rely on their medical providers.
In September 2025, patient engagement company PatientPoint released data finding that 83% of patients trust their own doctors' health advice. Specifically, patients value the in-person connections they have with their providers.
Another survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, published late last year, showed that Americans trust the American Medical Association (AMA) over the CDC for vaccine advice. This is notable, as the AMA is one of the professional societies that doubled down on its traditional vaccine guidance throughout ACIP changes.
However, the Annenberg survey did show that trust wanes when AMA and CDC issue messages that conflict, especially among 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.
What's more, the survey data showed that changes in vaccine guidance are what sow public distrust. Half of respondents said they don't even know what's on the CDC's website, and when people are aware of the changes the agency has made, people no longer know who to believe.
It'll be important for patients to have a trusted source of medical information, and healthcare providers can be that source. Using empathetic patient-provider communication strategies and connecting with patients on a human level, clinicians can chip away at the patient trust problem.
Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.
