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KFF Poll Shows Three in Ten Adults Turn to Social Media or AI for Health Information, with Lower-Income Adults More Likely to Cite Cost and Access Barriers as a Reason

The Monitor explores the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust, which finds roughly three in ten adults report turning to social media (31%) or AI chatbots (29%) at least monthly for health information and advice. The top reasons people report turning to social media for health advice are wanting to hear from those with similar experiences or a desire for quick information.

Rare or Unverified Outcomes Shape Vaccine Safety and Gender Care Debates

Two recent federal actions, including a memo about alleged COVID-19 vaccine deaths and legal settlements creating a gender-affirming care “detransition clinic,” show how official actions can present uncertain or uncommon outcomes as representative and lend credibility to narratives that go beyond what evidence supports.

Polling

People Without a Trusted Health Care Provider Are More Likely to Endorse False Vaccine Claims

This poll looks at exposure to and belief in several vaccine myths and finds that people without a trusted health care provider, and those who regularly use social media or AI for health information, are generally more likely than others to belief the false claims. It also analyzes belief across vaccine myths, showing the share of the public that are consistent myth believers, consistent myth deniers, and those who land in the “mixed middle.”

Dashboard: Polling on Health Information and Trust

Drawing on KFF’s poll findings, this interactive dashboard tracks the public’s trusted sources for health information, attitudes toward vaccines, and use of news, social media, and AI for health-related information.

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  • Americans May Be Smarter About Vaccines Than You Think

    From Drew Altman

    In a new column that analyzes recent KFF polling, Founding President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman concludes that only a sliver of the public hold definitive anti-science, anti-vaccine views, and are greatly outnumbered by the people who believe established science, with even more Americans stuck in a “muddled middle.” He writes, “when you see reports of social media engagement spiking about a health myth, don’t overreact. It’s more likely than not that it's a relatively…

  • KFF Polling on Health Information and Trust

    Feature

    Drawing on KFF's poll findings, this interactive dashboard tracks the public’s trusted sources for health information, attitudes toward vaccines, and use of news, social media, and AI for health-related information. It provides visual representations of the key trends in the public’s trust in health information and tracks exposure to and belief in false and unproven health claims.

  • Poll: People Without a Trusted Health Care Provider Are More Likely to Endorse Vaccine Myths, As Are Those Who Often Use Social Media or AI for Health Information

    News Release

    People who don’t have a trusted health care provider are more likely than people with one to believe or lean toward believing several common myths about vaccines, a new KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust reveals. Similarly, people who use social media or artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots at least weekly for health information are more likely than those who don’t to endorse these false vaccine claims. One example: Among adults who say they…

  • KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Update on Common Vaccine Myths

    Poll Finding

    This poll looks at exposure to and belief in several vaccine myths and finds that people without a trusted health care provider, and those who regularly use social media or AI for health information, are generally more likely than others to belief the false claims. It also analyzes belief across vaccine myths, showing the share of the public that are consistent myth believers, consistent myth deniers, and those who land in the "mixed middle."

  • KFF Poll Shows Three in Ten Adults Turn to Social Media or AI for Health Information, with Lower-Income Adults More Likely to Cite Cost and Access Barriers as a Reason — The Monitor

    Feature

    The latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds roughly three in ten adults report turning to social media (31%) or AI chatbots (29%) at least monthly for health information and advice. The top reasons people report turning to social media for health advice are wanting to hear from those with similar experiences or a desire for quick information.

  • KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Use of Social Media and AI For Health Information and Advice

    Poll Finding

    This poll finds that about 3 in 10 adults turn to social media for health information and advice at least monthly. Community connection and the need for immediate answers are the top reasons why people are turning to these tools. Slim majorities of those who use social media for health are confident they can tell what is true, and relatively few take steps to check the information they receive.

  • KFF Poll Finds That Most Adults Lack Confidence in Key Health Agencies to Act Independently — The Monitor

    Feature

    KFF’s latest Health Tracking Poll finds that confidence in the independence of key government health agencies overseeing food and drug safety and public health is low among the public and across partisans. Most of the public also share a distrust of agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical companies to act in the public’s best interest, compared with doctors and health care providers who are much more trusted among the public. The latest edition of the Monitor also…