The trend: US adults with a trusted healthcare provider are less likely to believe vaccine myths than those without one, according to a May KFF Health Information and Trust Tracking Poll.

Among US adults who don’t have a trusted healthcare provider:

• 46% believe that COVID-19 vaccines caused more deaths than the virus, nearly twice the number of those who do have a trusted provider (24%).
• 39% believe MMR vaccines cause autism, compared with 24% of those with a trusted provider.
• 36% believe mRNA vaccines change a person’s DNA, compared with 21% of those with a trusted provider.
• 27% believe the measles vaccine is more dangerous than getting measles, compared with 16% of those with a trusted provider.

Why it matters: Consumers without a trusted healthcare provider often seek health information and advice on social media, where vaccine misinformation circulates widely. Among US adults who use social media for health information and advice, 41% say it’s because they don’t have a regular healthcare provider or can’t afford to see one, per a KFF poll on social media use.

Social media users are also more likely to believe vaccine myths. Across the four myths KFF examined, belief is 10 percentage points or higher among weekly social media health information users than among non-users. For example, 36% of social media users believe COVID-19 vaccines caused more deaths than the virus itself compared with 21% of those who don’t use social media. Similarly, 37% believe MMR vaccines cause autism in children compared with 16% of non-users.

Implications for healthcare providers and marketers: Trusted healthcare providers and other messengers can help counter vaccine misinformation on social media.

For healthcare providers, empathy and humility can help build that trust. In Edelman’s 2026 Health Trust Barometer, 62% of US consumers who believe divisive health claims, including some about vaccines, say they would be more persuaded by a healthcare provider who understood them and their life situation, and 67% say the same of a provider who acknowledges they don't have all the answers.

For marketers, the same trust dynamic applies on social media. Local physicians, community health workers, faith leaders, and other trusted messengers can help improve the credibility of evidence-based information where many consumers already seek health information and advice.

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