Report · Health

Many Americans don't rely on any single source when making health decisions

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Americans deciding whether to follow public health recommendations don't converge on any one voice: the largest share (24%) say they don't rely on any of the sources asked about, and nearly as many (23%) say all of the sources influence them equally, a November 2025 Verasight survey finds.

Federal agencies such as the CDC lead the individual sources at 17%, with international organizations such as the World Health Organization next at 14%. Local government (9%), community organizations (7%) and state government (7%) round out the list.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Many Americans don't rely on any single source when making health decisions.

When deciding whether to follow public health recommendations, which of these sources most influences your decisions?

  • None - I do not rely on these sources when making health decisions 23.8%
  • All of these sources influence me equally 22.6%
  • Federal government (e.g., Center for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health) 16.7%
  • International organizations (e.g., World Health Organization) 13.6%
  • Local government (e.g., city or county health department) 8.5%
  • Community organizations (e.g., local clinics, nonprofits, faith-based groups) 7.5%
  • State government 7.3%

2025 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.2%

Module 2

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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
2025-11-14 → 2025-11-20
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.2%
Module
Module 2

Source

Citation

Verasight APHA Omnibus Survey #2025-148, fielded November 14-20, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/verasight-apha-2025

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
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
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.