Public confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the coronavirus pandemic declined between May and October 2020, a survey found, with the largest decline reported among non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics. The survey, conducted by the RAND Corporation, involved 2,000 Americans and rated the trust on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest.
The researchers say the average drop in confidence among respondents was about 0.7 points or 10%. The survey divided groups into subgroups according to ethnicity, voting intentions, age and rural versus urban.
“Finally, there is a remarkable consistency and convergence in reported levels of confidence in the CDC in these subgroups after the declines, with the exception of the comparison of mood sentiment,” the researchers wrote.
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Respondents to the polls, who said they would vote for President Joe Biden for now, showed a small, non-significant decline in confidence in the CDC. “significant and significant decrease in confidence.”
According to the researchers, the CDC’s findings are now heavily politicized, which could be a challenge for the agency, as the country is the largest explosion of vaccines in history.
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“These surveys show that the CDC will need to rehabilitate perception, especially among those who have reported that they want to vote for someone other than Biden or will not vote at all (with low initial confidence declining even further),” the researchers said. “Although we know that the black community had a low level of trust in the CDC, it is now just as low in all the groups.”
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The Biden administration has announced a series of new initiatives, including the implementation of social media influencers and community leaders to help with the factual information regarding vaccinations and virus safety, to alleviate concerns about mistrust. The researchers suggest that the CDC, in addition to community messengers, add a layer of openness and transparency, especially in terms of changing leadership, in a way similar to the way the FDA has adapted.