Alex Montero

KFF chart showing the share of adults and partisans who say they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in a variety of sources of vaccine information, including their doctor, the AAP, AMA, CDC, state government officials, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

With trust in the CDC declining, doctors and physicians groups like the AMA and AAP are the most trusted sources of vaccine information among the public. About a third say they trust Secretary Kennedy, with big partisan divisions.

KFF line chart showing the share of the public and partisans who have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the CDC to provide reliable information. Data spans between September 2023 and September 2025

The survey also finds that trust in the CDC has hit a new low, with half of the public now saying they trust the agency for reliable vaccine information

KFF chart showing the share of adults, parents and partisans who say it is definitely true, probably true, probably false, or definitely false that taking Tylenol during pregnancy increases the risk of children developing autism.

KFF's latest finds that many adults are uncertain about whether Tylenol use during pregnancy can cause autism in children. But partisanship plays a big role, with most Republicans saying it's probably or definitely true www.kff.org/public-opini...

KFF bar chart showing percent of 1988 NFL players who say they encouraged and discouraged their children from playing tackle football. Results shown among players who are parents.

Nearly all former NFL players from the '88 season are parents. Most say they encouraged their children to play tackle football if they expressed interest. Just 7% say they discouraged their children.

KFF bar chart showing percent of 1988 NFL players who say they support or oppose banning tackle football for youth. Results shown by total players, race, and disability status.

Even though former NFL players are divided on the risks of youth football, most say they oppose banning tackle football below the high school level. Notably, the survey found that most players think the sport is safer now than when they played.

KFF bar chart showing percent of 1988 NFL players who say when it comes to youth playing tackle football before high school, the benefits outweigh the risks, or the risks outweigh the benefits. Results shown by total players, race, and disability status.

KFF and ESPN's recent poll of former NFL players finds that players are divided on the risks of youth tackle football, with about four in ten saying the risks outweigh the benefits. www.kff.org/kff-espn-sur...

KFF mirrored bar chart showing percent of 1988 NFL players who say football has had a positive or a negative impact on specific aspects of their lives.

These former NFL players - who are now in their mid-50s to mid-70s - say the game had a negative impact on their physical health but a positive impact on their life in general. Beyond that, the survey finds that nine in ten say if they could go back, they’d do it all again.

Bar chart from KFF showing percent of former 1988 NFL players who say they experience specific disabilities and have fair or poor physical and mental health. Results shown among Black players and White players.

Among the now-retired NFL players who played in ’88, much larger shares of Black players compared to White players report living with physical, cognitive, and mental health issues

Bar chart from KFF showing percent who say they have experienced specific physical and mental health issues. Results shown among 1988 NFL players and total U.S. men ages 55 to 75.

KFF and ESPN just jointly released an in-depth polling and reporting project looking at health and financial challenges facing former NFL players, who are much more likely to report a wide array of health issues compared to men their age. kff.org/kff-espn-survey-of-nfl-players

KFF split bar chart showing the share of U.S. adults, including by party ID, who say they are very or somewhat confident that the vaccines for each of the following are safe: measles, mumps, rubella; pneumonia; shingles; the flu; and COVID-19

And adults in the U.S. are still divided on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines nearly four years since they were first approved. Just over half express confidence in their safety, including far fewer Republicans.

KFF stacked bar chart showing the share of U.S. adults, including by party ID, who say that vaccines that use mRNA technology are generally safe, generally unsafe, or that they don't know enough to say.

mRNA technology also remains obscure to much of the public, with about half saying they don't know enough about the technology to say whether it is safe or not

KFF stacked bar chart showing the shares of U.S. adults, including by party ID and race/ethnicity, who say the false claim that mRNA vaccines can change DNA is definitely true, probably true, probably false, or definitely false

With mRNA vaccines coming under attack in some states, KFF's latest poll finds most of the public is uncertain if mRNA vaccines can change your DNA - a commonly circulated myth. Few think this false claim is definitely true, but larger shares are open to believing it on.kff.org/3Z2MaRG

Doctors and pediatricians remain trusted sources of reliable vaccine information among most adults, but other sources are polarizing. Republicans are far more likely than others to trust President Trump and Secretary Kennedy for vaccine info and are as likely to trust them as their own doctor

KFF barbell chart showing the percent of total adults, Democrats, Independents and Republicans who say they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the FDA and the CDC to provide reliable information about vaccines in April 2025 and in September 2023. The chart shows the share of Democrats who trust the CDC and FDA as a source of reliable vaccine information has declined significantly, while Republican trust has risen.

Meanwhile, Democrats' trust in the CDC and FDA for vaccine information has dropped by about 20 percentage points from where it stood under the Biden administration, while Republican trust has risen by about ten points -- a notable reversal of partisan trends that began during the COVID-19 pandemic

KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Vaccine Safety and Trust | KFF 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 adul...

Fewer than half of the public express confidence in government health agencies to carry out key tasks, with partisans mostly in agreement. Per KFF's latest poll: www.kff.org/health-information-and-trust/poll-finding/kff-tracking-poll-on-health-information-and-trust-vaccine-safety-and-trust/

Believing or leaning toward believing false claims about measles is also tied to parents’ choices to vaccinate their children. Among parents who say at least one measles myth is definitely or probably true, a quarter say they have delayed or skipped some vaccines for their children.

Beyond the share of adults who express uncertainty, at least one in five adults believe or lean toward believing false claims about measles and measles vaccines, including at least a third of Republican parents.

KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: The Public’s Views on Measles Outbreaks and Misinformation | KFF This poll looks at awareness and concern over the outbreak of measles in the U.S. and finds that a growing share of adults is encountering false claims about the measles vaccines, but many are uncerta...

Our new KFF tracking poll on health information and trust finds that most Americans have heard false claims about measles and the measles (MMR) vaccines, and at least half of the public are uncertain if these myths are true are not. www.kff.org/health-infor...