Americans appear to be drawing a sharp line between the doctors they know personally and the federal institutions responsible for public health, with new research showing confidence in the CDC, FDA and NIH has fallen while trust in individual healthcare providers remains remarkably strong.
A new national survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania found that 87% of Americans expressed confidence in their own doctor, nurse or primary healthcare provider when it comes to trustworthy public-health information.
By comparison, confidence in the three major federal health agencies was considerably lower: 61% for the CDC, 59% for the FDA and 61% for the NIH in August 2026.
The findings reveal a growing credibility gap at a critical moment for American healthcare, as federal agencies deal with changing leadership, vaccine-policy debates, infectious-disease outbreaks and ongoing public skepticism.
A Growing Divide in Public Trust
The latest Annenberg survey was conducted from August 4 through August 17, 2026, among 1,904 U.S. adults.
The results show that confidence in personal healthcare providers has remained broadly stable, while trust in federal public-health institutions has declined substantially.
In September 2024, confidence in the CDC stood at 72%, compared with 61% in August 2026.
FDA confidence dropped from 73% to 59%.
NIH confidence declined from 74% to 61%.
That means the gap between confidence in individual healthcare providers and federal agencies has widened significantly.
Doctors Remain the Most Trusted Source
The most striking finding is that Americans have not broadly abandoned medical expertise.
Instead, they appear to place greater trust in people they interact with directly.
The Annenberg survey found that 87% of respondents trusted their own primary healthcare provider to provide reliable public-health information.
That figure was statistically similar to the 88% recorded in September 2024.
The result suggests that personal relationships remain an important source of credibility in healthcare.
A patient may question a government agency while still listening closely to the physician who knows their medical history.
The Pattern Is Not New
The divide between personal doctors and federal agencies has been visible in earlier research.
A February 2026 Annenberg survey found that 86% of Americans expressed confidence in their own healthcare provider, compared with significantly lower confidence in federal health agencies and their leaders.
At that time, confidence in career scientists working at federal health agencies was 67%, while confidence in agency leaders was only 43%.
The latest survey suggests the underlying divide has persisted.
Confidence in the CDC Has Fallen
The CDC remains one of the most recognizable public-health institutions in the United States.
But confidence in the agency has declined significantly.
In August 2026, 61% of respondents said they were confident the CDC provides trustworthy public-health information.
Only 13% described themselves as very confident, down from 29% in September 2024.
That decline comes as the agency faces multiple challenges, including infectious-disease outbreaks and questions about staffing and leadership.
FDA Faces a Similar Trust Problem
The FDA has experienced an even larger decline in overall confidence.
The August survey found that 59% of Americans expressed confidence in the agency, compared with 73% in September 2024.
The share saying they were very confident dropped from 23% to 11%.
The agency has also experienced significant leadership changes.
Former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary left the agency in May, while vaccine and biologics division leader Vinay Prasad resigned in March.
Those departures have added to questions about continuity and leadership at one of the country’s most important medical regulatory institutions.
NIH Confidence Has Also Slipped
The National Institutes of Health has experienced a similar decline.
Confidence in the NIH fell from 74% in September 2024 to 61% in August 2026.
The proportion of Americans who said they were very confident dropped from 27% to 12%.
That decline matters because the NIH plays a central role in biomedical research and the development of scientific evidence used throughout the healthcare system.
Federal Health Leadership Faces a Credibility Test
The trust decline comes during a period of significant change inside the federal health establishment.
The Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have pursued major changes in health policy and federal agencies.
The CDC has experienced leadership upheaval, while several programs have faced staffing disruptions.
Dr. Erica Schwartz was confirmed by the Senate as CDC director on August 5 after a lengthy period of leadership uncertainty.
Her appointment comes as the agency confronts major public-health challenges, including the country’s ongoing measles outbreak.
Public Health Messages Are Becoming More Politically Charged
Another factor complicating trust is the increasingly political nature of health-policy debates.
Vaccination recommendations, COVID-19 policies and the role of federal health agencies have become subjects of intense political disagreement.
The result can make it harder for Americans to distinguish between scientific evidence and political messaging.
That is especially important during emergencies, when public-health officials need people to act quickly on accurate information.
Vaccine Policy Is a Major Test
The federal government is currently reviewing childhood vaccine recommendations.
The Department of Health and Human Services has sought public input on how vaccines should be categorized and recommended, following a presidential executive order focused on reducing the number of routine childhood immunizations.
HHS has acknowledged that declining public trust is an issue.
The department has said some Americans viewed previous vaccine guidance as rushed or overly confident, contributing to broader concerns about credibility.
Trust Matters During Outbreaks
The importance of public confidence becomes particularly clear during disease outbreaks.
The United States is currently dealing with a major measles resurgence, while federal and state agencies are also responding to foodborne illness outbreaks.
If people do not trust public-health authorities, they may be less likely to follow recommendations about vaccination, testing, treatment or disease prevention.
That can make outbreaks harder to contain.
Doctors Could Become More Important Messengers
The high level of confidence in individual healthcare providers could provide an important pathway for communicating public-health information.
Doctors are often able to explain recommendations in the context of an individual patient’s circumstances.
That personal relationship can make complex medical guidance easier to understand.
It can also provide an opportunity to correct misinformation without making patients feel dismissed.
But Doctors Face Their Own Challenges
High trust in physicians does not mean the healthcare system is free from problems.
Americans continue to report concerns about healthcare costs, access, insurance and the quality of their interactions with medical providers.
A separate August 2026 survey found that 84% of respondents trusted their healthcare providers, even as 43% said their anxiety about the healthcare industry had increased.
The findings reinforce the idea that Americans can remain confident in their own doctors while becoming increasingly concerned about the broader healthcare system.
Cost Is Driving Healthcare Anxiety
Healthcare affordability remains one of the largest sources of concern.
The August survey found that 54% of respondents experiencing increased healthcare anxiety cited cost and affordability as a major factor.
Inflation was another major concern, while government policy changes and distrust of the healthcare system also contributed.
That means declining institutional trust cannot be separated completely from people’s broader experiences with the healthcare system.
The Information Environment Is Changing
Americans now receive health information from a much wider range of sources than they did a decade ago.
Social media, podcasts, online communities, news organizations, influencers and artificial intelligence tools increasingly compete with government agencies and doctors for public attention.
That makes credibility more important—and potentially more difficult to maintain.
The Role of Scientific Experts
The Annenberg research also suggests that Americans distinguish between government institutions and scientific expertise.
In its February survey, 67% expressed confidence in career scientists working at federal health agencies, substantially higher than the 43% who trusted agency leaders.
That distinction suggests the problem may not simply be a rejection of science.
Instead, Americans may be questioning the institutions and leadership responsible for communicating and implementing scientific information.
Transparency Could Become Critical
For federal agencies, restoring confidence may depend heavily on transparency.
Clear explanations of how recommendations are developed, what evidence supports them and what uncertainties remain could help rebuild credibility.
That may become particularly important when scientific evidence changes or when new information requires officials to update previous guidance.
A Difficult Road Ahead
The trust gap will not likely disappear quickly.
Federal health agencies must manage complicated scientific issues while operating in an increasingly polarized political environment.
At the same time, doctors must help patients navigate contradictory information coming from government agencies, social media and other sources.
That makes communication itself an increasingly important part of public health.
The Bottom Line
Americans are not necessarily losing faith in healthcare professionals—but they are becoming less confident in the federal institutions responsible for delivering public-health guidance.
The latest Annenberg survey found that 87% of Americans trust their own healthcare providers, while confidence in the CDC, FDA and NIH stands at 61%, 59% and 61%, respectively.
The difference is significant.
It suggests that the public still values medical expertise but increasingly wants that expertise delivered through trusted personal relationships rather than government institutions.
For federal health agencies, rebuilding credibility will require more than issuing new recommendations.
It will require transparency, consistency, scientific integrity and effective communication.
For doctors, the challenge may be even more immediate.
Patients are increasingly looking to their personal healthcare providers to explain what is true, what has changed and which health recommendations they should follow.
As the United States confronts measles outbreaks, foodborne illnesses, vaccine-policy changes and other public-health challenges, the strength of that doctor-patient relationship could become one of the country’s most important assets.
Source angle: Annenberg Public Policy Center’s August 2026 national survey, CDC/FDA/NIH confidence trends, healthcare-provider trust, federal health-policy changes and the broader U.S. public-health communication challenge.
