Despite disease surges, poll shows Kennedy-driven disinformation has left most Americans skeptical of vaccines

Results from the March poll of 3,851 U.S. adults conducted by Public First show that a plurality of Americans question the safety of vaccines, support reducing the number administered and believe that people’s right to decide what they put in their bodies is more important than preventing the spread of disease.

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A clear partisan divide exists among vaccine skeptics. Six in 10 Republicans surveyed favored administering fewer vaccines, compared to three in 10 Democrats.

The results made sense to Mary Holland, CEO of Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group Kennedy led before entering politics.

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“What stands out is that vaccine safety and vaccine choice are no longer fringe issues,” she [said]. “People want to be able to make their own medical decisions.”

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“We’re all kind of in the post-truth era, and it’s an epistemological crisis,” [said James Colgrove, a professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health]. “Everybody’s living in their own reality, and you interpret the facts in a way that reinforces your belief system.”

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