Americans Trust Scientists Over Health Agency Leaders

Public confidence in career scientists at federal health agencies is significantly higher than in agency leaders, new survey finds.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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A new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds that public confidence in career scientists at federal health agencies such as the CDC, NIH, and FDA is significantly higher than confidence in the leaders of those agencies. The survey also shows greater trust in major professional health associations outside government than in U.S. health agencies.

Why it matters

This divide in public trust highlights growing concerns about the politicization of public health information and the importance of maintaining the independence and credibility of scientific expertise, especially during times of crisis or uncertainty.

The details

The survey found that two-thirds of Americans (67%) have confidence in career scientists working at U.S. federal health agencies, compared with just 43% confidence in agency leaders overall. Only 5% say they are "very confident" in the leaders, compared to 18% who are very confident in the career scientists. Confidence is also lower in specific leaders like HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (38%) and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz (42%) than it was in Dr. Anthony Fauci (54%) when he was in office. Americans also express greater trust in major health associations like the American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Medical Association than in federal agencies like the CDC, FDA, and NIH.

  • The survey was conducted from February 3-17, 2026.
  • Confidence in the CDC, FDA, and NIH dropped significantly from the final year of the Biden administration in February 2024 to the start of the second Trump administration in February 2025, and fell further in the current 2026 survey.

The players

Annenberg Public Policy Center

A research center at the University of Pennsylvania that studies communication's role in advancing public understanding of political, science, and health issues.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The current Secretary of Health and Human Services, who is a longtime vaccine critic.

Dr. Mehmet Oz

The current administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Dr. Anthony Fauci

The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

American Heart Association

A major professional health association that provides trustworthy information on public health matters.

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What they’re saying

“The public is differentiating the trustworthiness of career scientists in the CDC, NIH, and FDA from that of the leaders of those agencies, and recalling substantially higher confidence in the guidance that former director Fauci provided than that offered by Secretary Kennedy or Dr. Oz.”

— Ken Winneg, Managing Director of Survey Research, Annenberg Public Policy Center (Mirage News)

“These findings reflect a clear divergence in how Americans view federal health agencies versus major professional health associations.”

— Laura A. Gibson, Senior Data Analyst, Annenberg Public Policy Center (Mirage News)

What’s next

The Annenberg Public Policy Center plans to continue tracking public trust in health agencies and experts through its ongoing Annenberg Science and Public Health (ASAPH) survey panel.

The takeaway

This survey highlights the importance of maintaining the independence and credibility of scientific expertise, especially in times of crisis, and the need for health agencies to rebuild public trust in their leadership. The public's greater confidence in professional associations over government agencies suggests a desire for authoritative, non-partisan guidance on critical public health issues.