Associated Press
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine advocacy is outside the mainstream. His previous statements on abortion could alienate Republicans. But a new poll finds that not all of his controversial health goals are unpopular — in fact, at least one has broad support among Democrats and Republicans.
As Kennedy’s Senate confirmation hearings begin, his bid to become the nation’s top health official could depend on how staunchly he sticks to these personal beliefs during questioning. He has already softened some of his long-held views.
He’s facing some skepticism from the public, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Only about 3 in 10 US adults approve of President Donald Trump nominating him to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. About 4 in 10 disapprove, while about one-quarter are either neutral or don’t know enough to say.
But he has points of strength, too. Trump’s choice of Kennedy is especially popular among Republicans: About 6 in 10 approve, compared to about 1 in 10 Democrats. And while many Americans disagree with some of Kennedy’s controversial health stances — including beliefs around reevaluating childhood vaccine recommendations and changing guidelines around fluoride in drinking water and raw milk consumption — some of his other stances, like reformulating processed foods, are broadly popular.
Here’s what AP-NORC polling shows about which of Kennedy’s priorities are likely to be popular among U.S. adults and which might be less well-received.
More oppose than support reevaluating widely used vaccines
Kennedy has long been a vaccine skeptic, and he and Trump have falsely claimed that childhood vaccines are dangerous and tied to rising autism rates. His opposition to vaccines is broad, and he has said that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
AP-NORC polling suggests that reevaluating vaccine recommendations would be unpopular with many Americans.
About 4 in 10 Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” oppose reconsidering the government’s recommendations around widely used vaccines, like the flu vaccine, and about 3 in 10 are in favor. Another 3 in 10 Americans, roughly, are neutral.
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to favor reconsidering government recommendations for widely used vaccines, although their support isn’t overwhelming. About 4 in 10 Republicans favor reevaluating vaccine recommendations, compared with about 2 in 10 Democrats.
Wide support for restrictions on ingredients in processed foods
One of Kennedy’s ideas is popular across the board: getting some chemicals out of processed foods. Kennedy has vowed to ban certain food additives and crack down on ultra-processed foods that are tied to obesity and diabetes rates.
About two-thirds of Americans “somewhat” or “strongly” favor restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or dyes. This is an area where Democrats and Republicans agree: About 7 in 10 in each group favor the restrictions.
Support is particularly high among U.S. adults with a higher household income, though research from the National Institutes of Health has indicated that ultra-processed foods are consumed at higher rates in low-income groups. Roughly 8 in 10 adults with a household income of $100,000 or more per year support the restrictions, compared with about half of Americans with a household income of $30,000 or less.
More oppose than support removing raw milk restrictions
Kennedy indicated before the election that he would be keen to end the Food and Drug Administration’s “aggressive suppression” of raw milk. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called raw milk one of the “riskiest” foods people can consume because of the possibility for contamination.
This is a proposal for which he’d have to do some convincing to get the public on board. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults “strongly” or “somewhat” oppose removing restrictions on the sale of unpasteurized or raw milk. About 2 in 10 Americans favor this idea, with Republicans being more likely than Democrats to be in support. But even Republicans are split: About 3 in 10 are in favor, and about 3 in 10 are opposed.
Americans generally want Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss drugs
Kennedy has criticized prescription weight loss drugs like Ozempic, saying higher-quality food could solve the obesity problem in the U.S., but in December he pivoted, saying the drugs “have a place” in making sure people are not obese, in addition to lifestyle changes.
Americans see weight loss drugs as a good solution for adults who are obese. About half of U.S. adults say it’s “very good” or “somewhat good” for adults to use weight loss drugs if they are struggling with obesity or a weight-related health condition. And about half also favor Medicare and Medicaid covering the cost of these drugs if they are prescribed for weight loss for people with obesity.
More oppose than support removing fluoride from drinking water
Kennedy has said he wants the federal government to advise local governments against putting fluoride in their drinking water. The CDC has said small amounts of added fluoride in drinking water prevent cavities and tooth decay.
More Americans are opposed than in favor of removing fluoride from drinking water, but many don’t have an opinion on the issue, leaving room for shifts in either direction. About 4 in 10 Americans oppose removing fluoride from the water supply, and about one-quarter are in favor. An additional one-third are neutral, saying they don’t favor or oppose it. About one-third of independents and Republicans favor it, compared with about 2 in 10 Democrats.
The idea of removing fluoride from drinking water is particularly unpopular with adults 60 and older, and the data suggests that younger Americans might be more open to it. About half of adults 60 or older oppose removing fluoride from the water, compared with about 4 in 10 adults between the ages of 30 and 59. Only about 2 in 10 adults under 30 are opposed to this.
Kennedy’s views on abortion may be at odds with Republicans
Kennedy has previously expressed support for abortion rights, which contradicts the beliefs of many of the Republican lawmakers who will need to confirm him, though he has said that he will follow Trump’s directives on the topic.
He’s in a bit of a bind on the issue. About 6 in 10 voters in November’s election said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. About one-third said it should be illegal in all or most instances. But like the Republican senators who will be questioning him, conservative voters see the issue differently. Among Republican voters, about 6 in 10 said abortion should be illegal in at least “most” cases, and only about 4 in 10 said it should be mostly legal.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
19 comments
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Victoria Olson
January 30, 2025 at 1:13 am
The man is a certified LUNATIC that should not be representing anyone.
SuzyQ
January 30, 2025 at 1:20 am
As a child and a teenager, I used fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash daily and still suffered from tooth decay, including cavities. In my early 20s I started using unfluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash, I have since never had another cavity. Even my dentist and oral hygienist respect my opposition to flouride, as well as others’.
Adding fluoride to public drinking water constitutes medical authoritarianism and forced medication. That said, I believe in vaccines — real ones, not therapeutics masquerading as vaccines; but I would not use the coercive power of the state to impose it on individuals against their will.
I have used unfluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash for decades
PeterH
January 30, 2025 at 10:34 am
FIUN FACT
Adults are less prone to tooth decay. Your self diagnosed brushing and mouth wash analysis is not based on scientific evidence. More SuzyQ nonsense!
SuzyQ
January 30, 2025 at 10:44 pm
Of course, my experience was anecdotal, not clinical — which was more than obvious except to you (although I think you may be returning to your old habit of prevaricating). Though there are some clinical studies linking the use of fluoride to a decrease in tooth decay among children (of course at a time when they naturally lose their baby teeth), there are no strong, recent clinical studies linking the use of fluoride and tooth decay among adults. In any event, even if there were, it would not support medical authoritarianism and forced medication vis-à-vis the fluoridation of public drinking water, as advocated by Peter Rabbit and his fellow travelers of real fascism or national socialism.
SuzyQ
January 30, 2025 at 10:50 pm
“Most countries in Europe have experienced substantial declines in cavities without the use of water fluoridation due to the introduction of fluoridated toothpaste and the large use of other fluoride-containing products, including mouthrinse, dietary supplements, and professionally applied or prescribed gel, foam, or varnish. For example, in Finland and Germany, tooth decay rates remained stable or continued to decline after water fluoridation stopped in communities with widespread fluoride exposure from other sources. Fluoridation is however still clearly necessary in the U.S. because unlike most European countries, the U.S. does not have school-based dental care, many children do not visit a dentist regularly, and for many U.S. children water fluoridation is the primary source of exposure to fluoride. The effectiveness of water fluoridation can vary according to circumstances such as whether preventive dental care is free to all children.”
“Reviews have shown that water fluoridation reduces cavities in children. A conclusion for the efficacy in adults is less clear with some reviews finding benefit and others not. Studies in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s showed that water fluoridation reduced childhood cavities by fifty to sixty percent, while studies in 1989 and 1990 showed lower reductions (40% and 18% respectively), likely due to increasing use of fluoride from other sources, notably toothpaste, and also the ‘halo effect’ of food and drink that is made in fluoridated areas and consumed in unfluoridated ones.”
SuzyQ
January 30, 2025 at 10:55 pm
Your emotive post in retort does not justify medical authoritarianism or your fascist approach to public, sweety (pardon the pun).
Peachy
January 30, 2025 at 7:32 am
Now if Kennedy was part of a new Demo administration, those Demo Senators would be kissing his azz and endorsing him. Hilarious.
I Vaccinated My Kids but Tell others Not To
January 30, 2025 at 4:37 pm
Wasn’t Kennedy approaching both campaigns to get a job, and didnt the Dems reject him?
MarvinM
January 30, 2025 at 5:02 pm
Yes
Silly Wabbit
February 2, 2025 at 12:18 pm
Peachy ass.
Chuck Anziulewicz
February 2, 2025 at 1:01 pm
Well it’s a silly thng to say because no Democrat in his or her right mind would have anything to do with RFK Jr.
As someone who worked for the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health for almost 29 years, I know that confirming him as DHHS Secretary would be absolute catastrophic. Sure we can do much better.
Josh Green
February 7, 2025 at 1:13 pm
False premise. He approached the Harris campaign for a role in her administration before he approached Trump, and they told him to get lost.
He has no principals, and is nothing but a tinfoil hat wearing wackjob.
CW
January 31, 2025 at 12:41 pm
The worm ate too much of his brain.
Kennedy is Bat Shit Crazy.
marteen
January 31, 2025 at 6:03 pm
He is a breath of fresh air.
Linwood Wright
February 7, 2025 at 1:14 pm
I have some bad news for you Marteen.
it turns out, the worms probably ate part of your brain too if you really believe that.
Whatever
February 2, 2025 at 10:56 am
They think a first class jerker..I guess death dares and drinking ammonia are the cool stuff
Silly Wabbit
February 2, 2025 at 12:18 pm
Kennedy kwazy.
KathrynA
February 3, 2025 at 9:58 am
Another thing going away is a desire to protect people’s health. I guess we won’t have much fresh produce to check, but think of the health issues that have been discovered this past year with people being sickened and some dying.
I lived on a dairy farm and we did all we could to protect milk and keep public healthy, but I would never drink unpasteurized milk. No matter what you do, cows are huge creatures and cleanliness is not valued by cattle.
Comments are closed.