In a recent blogpost, I alluded to the attitude of the American public toward vaccines, the CDC, and local and state public health officials. Since the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021, trust, respect, and belief in officials and medical policy have eroded quite badly. To quantitate this attitude, Harvard School of Public Health in conjunction with the de Beaumont Foundation conducted a survey to assess support for vaccines, belief and trust in the CDC and other agencies, and whether children were being over-vaccinated.
The survey had over 2200 respondents who were separated into Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. The sense I got from this survey was that the majority of Americans, or at least those surveyed, believe children are being over vaccinated; that there simply are too many vaccines to be given at a very young age. Most vaccines are for diseases that affect innocent, vulnerable children that are acquired by transmission through the air. Others are for diseases that are caused by behavior that is contrary to accepted social norms. Hepatitis B and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) are pathogens one would never acquire if you weren’t an IV drug user, a prostitute, or a sexually promiscuous male or female—in the majority of cases.
So, I will present results from the survey to see where we stand on these concerns. Current attitudes are similar to those developed during COVID. The majority of respondents feel children should be vaccinated to prepare to attend school. Seventy-five percent agree. 42% want to see fewer vaccines—but which ones? And why so many at such a young age? I think the young age is taking maximum advantage of the opportunity. Infants are seen regularly and often in the first years of life allowing many chances to administer vaccines and get them working in the child’s immune system.
Trust in vaccine safety has declined, as well. That comes from the mistrust originating from the origins and development of the COVID vaccine experience. With COVID, no one knew what was right. Before COVID, safety was a minor concern. At least it was nowhere near what it was during and since COVID. Less than 50% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats feel vaccines are “very safe.” That percentage has steadily declined since COVID.
The poll also found that respect for the CDC had declined badly in the past year, but it actually began during COVID when the public didn’t know who was and wasn’t being truthful. In 2025, 92% of Democrats and 77% of Independents trusted CDC recommendations. A very recent survey, though, put those numbers at 34% of Democrats and 47% of Independents. From ‘25 to the present, Republican confidence has risen from 63% to 67%.
Politics has become more evident in the attitudes of people toward federal health care officials and agencies, and approval and disapproval follow along party lines. The disapproval shown results from the personal opinions expressed by those in charge that you either agree with or don’t. That, then, reflects into the degree of trust survey respondents express when asked if they trust information and policy positions presented by the FDA, the National Institutes of Health (the NIH), and the CDC. These agencies established a bottom for the survey by being trusted by 53%, 53%, and 50% respectively, of Americans.
I’m wading into dangerous waters when I say that all of the negativity resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and the anxiety over masking, lockdowns, shuttering businesses, closing schools, and ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, and mRNA vaccines. Add to that mandatory vaccination with the threat of job dismissal for non-compliance. A lot of folks felt personal freedoms were being usurped, and lack of trust ensued. Those who didn’t feel that way developed their mistrust after the 2024 election and dissatisfaction with the choice of health care policy makers. Well, it would seem from that no one is happy, but somehow we manage to keep things going. The American spirit lives in all of us, and allows us to forgive and still get along with one another.
Reference: Ault A. Poll: American Support for Vaccines and CDC Slipping. medscape.com 2026 June 12.
