Public Opinion

Health Information and Trust

Public Uses Social Media for Health to Understand Others’ Experiences and Get Immediate Info; Some Also Cite Access and Cost Issues

This poll finds that about 3 in 10 adults turn to social media for health information and advice at least monthly. Community connection and the need for immediate answers are the top reasons why people are turning to these tools. Slim majorities of those who use social media for health are confident they can tell what is true, and relatively few take steps to check the information they receive.

Dashboard: Polling on Health Information and Trust

Drawing on KFF’s poll findings, this interactive dashboard tracks the public’s trusted sources for health information, attitudes toward vaccines, and use of news, social media, and AI for health-related information.

THE MIDTERMS

KFF Health Tracking Poll: MAHA and the Midterms

Chemical food additive and pesticide concerns associated with the Make America Health Again (MAHA) movement are shared broadly across the public. But when it comes to voters, health care costs are a higher priority and bigger motivator, even among MAHA supporters, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. When asked to identify their most important health priority for government to address, far more MAHA-supporting voters identify lowering the cost of health care (42%) than other issues more closely associated with the movement.

For more on this topic, read KFF Founding President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman's new Beyond the Data column: There Are Many MAHAs.

Poll: Health Care Costs and the Midterms

Health care costs continue to top the public’s list of affordability worries, even as concerns about gas prices have risen in recent weeks, with two-thirds of the public expressing worry over affording health care costs.

Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs

This data note reviews our recent polling data that finds that many Americans struggle to afford many aspects of health care, including disproportionate shares of uninsured adults, Black and Hispanic adults and those with lower incomes.

Recent Polls

Public Views on Foreign Aid and Global Health

This poll finds that less than half of the public now wants the U.S. to play at least a major role in improving the health of people in developing countries. When asked about the administration’s changes to foreign aid and global health, more people perceive a negative impact than a positive one.

Knowledge and Views of Medication Abortion

This KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that many, including women of reproductive age, remain unfamiliar with key facts about mifepristone. Fewer than half of all adults say they believe abortion pills are safe now, compared to over half of all adults two years ago. This poll explores awareness and perception of the recent FDA review of the medication, and support for policies aimed at restricting it.

KFF/New York Times Survey of Immigrants

KFF-New York Times Survey: Immigrants Report Rising Fear, Negative Economic and Health Impacts, and Changing Political Views During the First Year of President Trump’s Second Term

The 2025 Survey of Immigrants, a partnership between KFF and The New York Times, takes an in-depth look at the experiences of immigrants during the first year of President Trump’s second term, including their worries related to increased immigration enforcement, their health and economic wellbeing, and the political views and preferences of immigrant voters. The survey paints a portrait of families under strain — where fear of detention and economic instability are negatively impacting immigrants’ health and reshaping immigrant families’ daily lives and views of U.S. political parties.

Read the News Release | Explore The New York Times’ Reporting

the essentials

Health Tracking Poll

Our signature survey project provides up-to-date data on the public’s health care views, knowledge, and experiences.

Tracking the Public’s Views on the ACA

Tracking the Public’s Views on the ACA

This interactive tool tracks public opinion on the Affordable Care Act, from the inception of the law to the present, including trends based on party identification, income, age, gender, and race/ethnicity.

Health Information and Trust Tracking Poll

The Health Information and Trust Tracking Poll is part of KFF’s Health Information and Trust Initiative, which tracks health misinformation and analyzes its impact on the public.

Polls in Health Policy

This chapter of our digital “textbook” explores why surveys are essential for understanding health policy issues. 

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  • Major Federal and State Funding Cuts Facing Planned Parenthood

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief presents data from the most recent tracking poll asking if people have ever visited a Planned Parenthood clinic for health care services and looks at the funding cuts Planned Parenthood is currently facing including Medicaid, Title X, and Teen Pregnancy Prevention funds.

  • Public Trust in Vaccine Information, Misrepresented Vaccine Studies, and HIV and PrEP Stigma — The Monitor

    Feature

    This volume examines findings about trusted sources of vaccine information from the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust. It also explores how the misrepresentation of studies and policy developments contribute to health narratives around vaccines, HIV and PrEP. Lastly, it summarizes new research on the use of generative AI to counteract vaccine misinformation.

  • Living in an Undocumented Immigrant Family Under the Second Trump Administration: Fear, Uncertainty, and Impacts on Health and Well-Being

    Issue Brief

    During his second term, President Trump has implemented an array of immigration policy changes focused on restricting immigration and increasing interior immigration enforcement efforts. These policy changes include restrictions on both lawful and unlawful immigration into the U.S., increased interior enforcement activities to support mass deportation, attempts to end birthright citizenship for the children of noncitizen immigrants, and rescinding protections against enforcement action in previously protected areas such as schools, churches, and health care facilities.…

  • The Sad State of Trust in the CDC and FDA

    From Drew Altman

    In his latest column, KFF’s President and CEO Drew Altman discusses how the low levels of trust in the CDC and FDA today seen in KFF’s recent survey findings present a danger should the country face another epidemic.

  • KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Vaccine Safety and Trust

    Poll Finding

    As the Trump administration overhauls government health agencies, partisan trust in these agencies on vaccines has shifted and few express confidence in their ability to carry out key tasks. Most adults are confident in the safety of routine vaccines, but the COVID-19 vaccines remain polarizing with many uncertain about false claims regarding mRNA technology.

  • As COVID-19 Divisions, Attacks, and Misinformation Take Their Toll, Less Than Half of the Public Is Confident That the CDC and FDA Can Carry Out Core Functions 

    News Release

    Five years after the start of  COVID-19 pandemic and the communications challenges, divisions, and false claims that followed, less than half of the public say they have at least some confidence in the federal government’s health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to carry out many of their core responsibilities, a new KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds.The low levels of…

  • Most of the Public Oppose Major Federal Cuts to Health Agencies and Programs and Say They Have Been Made “Recklessly”

    News Release

    As the Trump administration and Congress pursue broad cuts to federal health agencies and budgets, most of the public, including some Republicans, oppose deep budget and staffing cuts to federal health programs and agencies, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. Across a range of questions, large majorities of Democrats and independents oppose the Trump administration’s major cuts to federal health agencies and programs, while Republicans are more supportive. Those who identify with President Trump’s…