A national survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, conducted in August among 1,904 U.S. adults, finds that most Americans continue to reject the false claim that childhood vaccines cause autism. Sixty-eight percent said it is false to state that vaccines such as the MMR shot cause autism, while 13% said it is true and 19% were unsure. That's essentially unchanged since 2022 but down from 74% in June 2021.
The poll also shows deepening unfavorable views of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a long history of anti-vaccine activism. Half of respondents said their opinion of him is unfavorable, with 42% describing it as "very unfavorable," up from 37% a year earlier. His favorable rating held at 23%. Public confusion about his position on measles vaccination persists: 31% believe he recommends the measles vaccine for children, 29% say he does not, and 40% are unsure.
The survey comes as the U.S. faces its largest measles tally since 1991, with 3,659 reported cases as of Sept. 24, exceeding last year's total of 2,289. MMR vaccination coverage among kindergartners has slipped from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.4% in 2025-2026, while vaccine exemptions rose from 3.6% to 4.2%, with 24 states above 5%. Experts quoted in the article say Kennedy's mixed messages have contributed to skepticism; Paul Offit of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said Kennedy "never says a vaccine is safe."