Public Opinion

THE MIDTERMS

Most Democratic Voters Want To Hear Candidates Discuss Health Costs and Future of Health Programs; More Republicans Focused on Fraud

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Views on Fraud in Government Health Programs

As the 2026 midterms approach, health care costs remain voters’ top health priority, but fraud in government health programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, is resonating with Republican voters, 55% of whom say it’s extremely important for candidates to address. Most voters say there is at least “some” fraud in government health programs, but larger shares say there is fraud in the tax system, defense, and foreign aid, while the smallest share sees fraud in the ACA Marketplaces.

Health Information and Trust

Update on Common Vaccine Myths: People Without a Trusted Health Care Provider Are More Likely to Endorse False Vaccine Claims

This poll looks at exposure to and belief in several vaccine myths and finds that people without a trusted health care provider, and those who regularly use social media or AI for health information, are generally more likely than others to belief the false claims. It also analyzes belief across vaccine myths, showing the share of the public that are consistent myth believers, consistent myth deniers, and those who land in the “mixed middle.”

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.

Recent Polls

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Mifepristone and the Midterms

Amid an ongoing FDA re-review of mifepristone, awareness of the safety and prevalence of the abortion pill remains limited. This KFF poll also finds that the voters who say abortion policy is an important issue for 2026 midterm candidates to discuss are disproportionately Democrats.

Ebola Response and Pandemic Preparedness

Much of the public has yet to form an opinion on the U.S. government’s response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this poll finds. Four in ten adults say the U.S. is less prepared for a pandemic now than it was in 2020.

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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131 - 140 of 1,853 Results

  • Poll: With More Than Half the Public Saying They or a Family Member Have Been Covered by Medicaid, Large Majorities Don’t Want Cuts, Including Most Trump Voters and Rural Residents

    News Release

    As Congress considers changes to the Medicaid program as part of the budget debate, relatively few (17%) in the public say they want to see a reduction in Medicaid spending, with larger shares saying they want spending to stay about the same (40%) or increase (42%), a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. Support for Medicaid spending cuts is relatively low even among traditionally conservative groups, including Republicans (33% favor cuts), people who voted for…

  • Poll: Two Thirds Believe Dissolving USAID Will Lead to More Illness and Death Globally, While Nearly Half Say It Would Significantly Reduce the Budget Deficit and Fund Domestic Programs

    News Release

    As the Trump administration works to dissolve the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a new KFF poll finds that two-thirds (67%) of the public believe these actions will increase illness and death in low-income countries, and a similar majority (62%) believe it will result in more humanitarian crises around the world.At the same time, nearly half of the public believe the dissolution of USAID will significantly reduce the U.S. budget deficit (47%) and allow…

  • KFF Health Tracking Poll February 2025: The Public’s Views on Global Health and USAID

    Feature

    This poll finds most of the public believe the cutbacks at USAID will lead to increases in illness and death in low-income countries. Nearly half say it will reduce the U.S. budget. Most of the public also overestimates the share of the federal budget that is spent on foreign aid, and when informed it is about 1% of the federal budget, the share who want to reduce spending drops.

  • U.S. Measles Outbreaks: A New Abnormal in a Time of Vaccine Hesitancy

    Quick Insights

    Given the current trends and embrace of vaccine skepticism on the part of the administration, and potential changes to federal policy around childhood vaccines, we might continue to witness more and longer outbreaks of preventable disease — and just maybe lose our measles elimination status, which as a country we’ve had for 25 years.

  • Skepticism Surrounding ADHD Diagnoses and Medication — The Monitor

    Feature

    This volume examines the impact of recent executive actions on federal health communication, along with concerns and stigmas surrounding ADHD diagnoses and treatments, including skepticism about pharmaceutical influence on medication promotion. It also explores distrust in food regulations following the FDA’s ban on Red Dye No. 3.

  • KFF Prescription Drug Advertisements Poll: January 2025

    Poll Finding

    KFF’s January 2025 Prescription Drug Advertisements Poll looks at the public's experiences with prescription drug advertisements, whether they've talked to a doctor about advertised drugs, and how this has influenced the care they receive.

  • Skepticism About Vaccines and Response to Bird Flu — The Monitor

    Feature

    This volume shares findings from the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust, along with updates from Robert Kennedy Jr’s senate hearings. It also examines distrust in public health messaging about bird flu, motivations for sharing information online, and how fraudulent research can sometimes inform AI chatbot models.

  • KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: January 2025

    Feature

    As Senate hearings begin for President Trump’s health nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust shows a decline in public trust for government health agencies like the CDC, FDA, and local public health officials. The poll reveals growing skepticism about vaccines and school vaccine requirements, especially among Republicans and parents, while misinformation about vaccine safety persists. Despite low concern about the H5N1 bird flu, the U.S.…

  • Poll: Trust in Public Health Agencies and Vaccines Falls Amid Republican Skepticism

    News Release

    As President Trump begins his second term, the public’s trust in health information from key health agencies has fallen over the past 18 months, continuing a decline that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, finds the new KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust.  Just over half (53%) of the public now says they trust the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make the right recommendations on health issues at least “a fair amount,” down…

  • KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Weighs Health Care Spending and Other Priorities for Incoming Administration

    Feature

    With the incoming Trump administration and Republican-led Congress looking to ways to reduce federal spending, this Poll finds that the Medicare and Medicaid programs remain broadly popular, and more people favor more spending on those programs than less spending. Among potential actions on health, the public sees price transparency and limiting chemicals in food as top priorities. Few say so about cuts to Medicaid and restrictions on abortion.