Polling shows that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s net approval rating declined from -11 percentage points in March 2025 to -21 points in September. CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten suggests that Kennedy’s approval rating has dropped because the public does not “like him on vaccines.”
RICHARD CARPIANO; [email protected]
Carpiano is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Riverside. He studies how social factors impact the physical and mental health of adults, children, and communities.
Carpiano told the Institute for Public Accuracy that according to a new survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, public confidence in the trustworthiness of U.S. health and science agencies has plummeted since Donald Trump took office this year. Carpiano said: “Among Republican respondents, there is really no gain in public confidence in federal science agencies. It has remained relatively flat going back to 2023. The line is relatively flat for independents, too. You would think we would see a little movement in those numbers, but they look similar to the Republican numbers.
“The trends in the public’s confidence in federal agencies is indicative of public, partisan reaction to RFK Jr.’s actions as Health and Human Services Secretary: a proxy measure of his activities.”
“If you look at the trends in general, we are seeing rising distrust in federal agencies, including the FDA, NIH, and CDC. Public confidence is low. That is incredibly concerning if you think of the duties and responsibilities that those agencies have. When crises hit, Americans are not always aware of the basic services and activities going on in the background for these agencies. But by undermining them, we undermine our safety, wellbeing, and public health security––and even a degree of national and economic security… It is critical for Americans that these specific agencies create and execute policies based on the best scientific evidence. We have seen little evidence of such practices related to health policy under RFK Jr.’s leadership as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“The findings highlight the general partisan patterns we see in Americans’ trust in important federal institutions. The recent significant loss of trust in these institutions also provides insights as to the potential ‘market demand’ that exists among Americans for actions we are seeing among certain states that are forming public health-related alliances to make important science-based public health recommendations and share scarce resources for public health programs…
“Thinking back, everything has happened in under eight months [since RFK Jr. assumed his role]. He didn’t necessarily come in with a plan of attack and scheme accordingly to achieve these grand strategies. There have been enabling events for him to meddle and create confusion––including even having this sheer amount of media attention. This past measles season, for instance, provided opportunities for RFK Jr. to stir up all sorts of doubt about effective treatments. An ordinary secretary of HHS would say, in response to an outbreak, ‘we are sending vaccines and technical support to get those shots in arms.’ But with RFK Jr., that gets muddled up with things like his claims about vitamin A, or other sorts of distractions that sow doubt and confusion––and legitimate grifters, phony science, and alternatives to vaccination.”