Provider Trust, Social Media Use Can Shape Vaccine Myth Belief

Adults without a trusting relationship with a health care provider, along with those who rely on social media and AI tools for health information, are more likely to believe in common vaccine myths, according to a KFF tracking poll on health information and trust conducted May 7-31, 2026.^1,2 The trusted-provider relationship holds even while incorporating controlling factors such as age, race and ethnicity, education, partisanship, and insurance coverage, according to KFF.

KFF’s Vaccine Belief Survey

KFF polling nationally sampled 2480 US adults, with a ±3 percentage margin of error, using online and phone interviews. The survey tested 4 myths:

• The measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccines have been proven to cause autism in children
• Getting the measles vaccine is more dangerous than becoming infected with measles
• More people have died from the COVID-19 vaccines than have died from the COVID-19 virus
• The mRNA vaccines can alter a person’s DNA

Trusted Provider Linked to Vaccine Confidence

Even after accounting for the controlling factors, KFF’s polling showed that adults who have a relationship with a trusted health care provider are less likely to believe common vaccine misconceptions than those without one. Nearly half (46%) of adults who lack a trusted provider say it is “probably” or “definitely true” that more people have died from the COVID-19 vaccines than from the virus itself, compared with only 24% of those of whom have a trusted provider (24%).

A similar gap appears for those who believe the MMR vaccine causes autism, 39% among adults without a trusted provider, compared with 24% who do have one.

Digital Health Misinformation

Use of social media platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) tools for health information is correlated with individuals’ belief in vaccine myths. KFF polling found 37% of weekly social media users believe the myth that the MMR vaccine leads to autism compared with 16% of those who never use social media for health information. Among regular AI tool users, 35% believe the myth in comparison with 20% of non-users.

Results also show 30% of adults who use social media monthly/occasionally and 29% of monthly/occasional AI tool users also hold a higher belief in comparison with those who do not use any platform for health information.

Vaccine-Hesitant Parents

Parents who are hesitant to vaccinate also show higher rates of belief in these myths. KFF found 57% of parents who delay or skip vaccines believe the MMR vaccine-autism myth in comparison with 30% of parents who keep their children current. A similar pattern holds for the other myths: 55% of vaccine-hesitant parents believe the COVID-19 vaccine myth, compared with 29% of parents who have their children current on vaccines, and 52% believe mRNA vaccines alter DNA, compared with 23% who stay up to date with vaccination.

In addition, 43% believe the measles vaccine is more dangerous than measles itself, compared with 18% of up-to-date parents. The belief gap comes amid a real-world resurgence. By early June, confirmed US measles cases were already closing in on the 2288 total cases recorded for all of 2025, with 92% of cases occurring among people who were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.³

According to KFF, even with controlling factors in place, the gap between these 2 groups of parents is at least 25 percentage points higher for the tested myths.

Closing the Vaccine Information Gap

KFF polling has consistently found at least half of the public falls into what the organization calls the “malleable middle” when it comes to a wide range of false health claims. Beyond the mixed middle, KFF sorted adults into 5 categories based on their pattern of belief across all 4 myths. Just 8% are consistent or leaned myth believers, saying all 4 claims are true, while more than half (55%) are consistent or leaned myth deniers, saying all 4 claims are false.

That leaves 31% to fall in the mixed middle. These people provided an array of true and false answers, lacking certainty on at least half of the claims. Adults more likely to fall into this category include Black adults (35%), Hispanic adults (40%), Republicans (44%), younger adults between the ages of 18 and 29 years (36%), people who use social media at least weekly for health information (41%), parents who delay/skip recommended vaccines for their children (45%), and those without a college degree (36%).

With a large group of individuals falling in the middle group, this leaves room to maintain and expand access to a trusted provider relationship for adults.

“Previous KFF polls have shown that health care providers are the most trusted source of health information among the public, and this latest poll shows that individuals who have a trusted provider are less likely than those without a trusted provider to endorse vaccine-related myths,” KFF researchers wrote.

References

1. KFF. Poll: people without a trusted health care provider are more likely to endorse vaccine myths, as are those who often use social media or AI for health information. KFF website. Published June 30, 2026. Accessed July 9, 2026. https://www.kff.org/health-information-trust/poll-people-without-a-trusted-health-care-provider-are-more-likely-to-endorse-vaccine-myths-as-are-those-who-often-use-social-media-or-ai-for-health-information/
2. Montero A, Sparks G, Montalvo J III, Kirzinger A, Hamel L. KFF tracking poll on health information and trust: update on common vaccine myths. KFF website. Published June 30, 2026. Accessed July 9, 2026. https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/kff-tracking-poll-on-health-information-and-trust-update-on-common-vaccine-myths/
3. Bonavitacola J. Measles cases climb to 2000 in the US, increasing cases year over year. AJMC^®. Published June 8, 2026. Accessed July 14, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/measles-cases-climb-to-2000-in-the-us-increasing-cases-year-over-year