Public trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dropped sharply under the Trump administration, according to a new poll reported by U.S. News and World Report. The survey found that confidence in the agency has fallen to levels that represent a significant decline from earlier readings.
The CDC is the federal agency responsible for tracking disease outbreaks, issuing public health guidance, and coordinating responses to health emergencies. Public trust in the agency became a widely discussed issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, when its guidance changed repeatedly as new information emerged. The new poll suggests trust has continued to fall rather than recover in the years since.
The poll did not appear to focus on a single event or decision but instead measured overall confidence in the agency as an institution. A loss of trust in public health agencies can affect how people respond to health guidance, including whether they follow recommendations on vaccines, disease prevention, and treatment.
The Trump administration has made significant changes to federal health agencies since taking office, including personnel changes and shifts in policy priorities. How those changes have affected the CDC's public-facing communications and its relationships with state and local health departments has been the subject of ongoing reporting.
The poll results add a concrete data point to a longer-running conversation about the relationship between federal health institutions and the American public. Whether trust can be rebuilt, and what steps might accomplish that, were not addressed in the report.
