Report · Health

More Americans shrug off over-the-counter side effects than worry about them

Reading

More Americans brush off the risk of side effects from over-the-counter medicines than worry about it, according to a May 2026 Verasight survey. About four-in-ten (42%) disagree that they worry about side effects when taking non-prescription medications, including 17% who strongly disagree.

Fewer, about a quarter (27%), agree that they worry, including 12% who strongly agree. Another 31% take neither side.

Topline

response scale

Topline scale

More Americans shrug off over-the-counter side effects than worry about them.

Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statement: I worry about side effects when I take over-the-counter (non-prescription) medications.

  • 3 30.7%
  • 2 24.8%
  • 1 - Strongly disagree 17.0%
  • 4 15.9%
  • 5 - Strongly agree 11.5%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.3%

beliefs

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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
2026-05-11 → 2026-05-11
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.3%
Module
beliefs

Source

Citation

Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26

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.