'The People' No Longer Trust the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

#CDC #Rand

An opinion poll among more than 2,000 Americans finds that public trust in the CDC has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trust in the CDC dropped about 10% from May to October in 2020, according to the survey. At the same time, trust in the postal service rose from 6.9% to 7.7% and trust in FEMA rose from 6.4% to 6.7%, even though both governmental agencies faced challenges of their own during that same time.

American's blacks have long had a distrust in the CDC and other health institutions due to what Drugs.com said is “a history of racism in the nation's health care system.”

Also, the poll showed that trust in the CDC also declined sharply among White and Hispanic respondents. Poll results also showed views about the CDC are now strongly politicized although there was no similar politicization for FEMA or the USPS.

“Researchers suggested that one way for the CDC to rebuild trust and depoliticize opinions about the agency is to ensure that the public understands the scientific basis for policy changes and guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Drugs.com 

Study co-author Lois Davis said public trust in federal agencies has never been as important as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Public suspicions of scientific experts and distrust of government institutions are increasing for a variety of reasons," said Ms. Davis, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, the nonprofit research group based in Santa Monica, CA, that did the polling. "Reasons for this include a blurring of the line between opinion and fact, and access to more sources of conflicting information."

Have a healthy day, Keep the Faith!