Report · Culture

On fluoride safety, Americans trust the CDC and local health departments most

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In a Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted May 22 to 28, 2025, half (50%) name the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a trusted source on the safety of fluoride in community water, and nearly as many (49%) name their state or local health department.

The American Dental Association (45%) and the Environmental Protection Agency (42%) come next, and about one-in-five (18%) point to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Smaller shares name health podcasts (12%) or wellness influencers (10%), while 15% trust none of these sources.

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Selected responses

On fluoride safety, Americans trust the CDC and local health departments most.

Who do you see as a trusted source of information when it comes to the safety of fluoride in community water systems?

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 49.7%
  • My state or local health department 49.5%
  • The American Dental Association (ADA) 44.6%
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 41.8%
  • Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services) 18.0%
  • None of the above 15.2%
  • Health-related podcast show/episodes 11.7%
  • Social media posts by health/wellness influencers (e.g., Facebook, TikTok, X) 10.0%

2025 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.1%

Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2025-040

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2025-05-22 → 2025-05-28
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.1%
Module
Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2025-040

Source

Citation

Verasight AAPOR Omnibus Survey #2025-040, fielded May 22-28, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.1%.

https://verasight-aapor-2025.tiiny.co

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
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Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.