Only 35% of Americans Think It's Safe to Trust 'Health Experts': Rasmussen Poll

"58% say it's important to do your own research," according to poll.

The results of a new poll from Rasmussen Reports published on Wednesday show that most Americans believe it is better to research health topics for oneself than to trust the so-called “experts.”

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The poll emphasized that Democrats are more likely to rely on health authorities than Republicans.

“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of Americans think it’s more important to research health issues than simply trusting experts—although Democrats trust experts more,” the Rasmussen results read.

The survey incorporated both national telephone and online surveys.

It found that only about a third (35%) of Americans think it’s “safe” to take health advice from purported experts.

“[I]n terms of their own health-care decisions, 35% of American Adults believe it’s safe to trust advice from experts,” the poll reads.

On the other hand, the majority of Americans (58%) “say it’s important to do your own research.”

The survey posed the following questions:

• On health-related issues, how much trust do you have in experts who give advice on TV and other media?

• In terms of your own health-care decisions, which is closer to your attitude, that it's safe to trust advice from experts, or that it's important to do your own research?

• Thinking back on the COVID-19 pandemic, were most of the experts basically right or wrong?

The poll canvassed 1,110 American adults and was conducted on January 23-25, 2024.

“The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence,” according to Rasmussen. “Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.”

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Follow Jon Fleetwood on Instagram @realjonfleetwood / Twitter @JonMFleetwood

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