How the public perceives CDC and the information it provides

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the nation’s primary health agency, and responsible for providing accurate and credible health information. To what extent does the American public trust the agency and the health information it provides?

Methods: Data analyzed came from Porter Novelli’s^[1] 2018 FallStyles database fielded from September 24 to October 6, 2018. This is a web-based survey sent to GfK’s Knowledge Panel^®[2] of 4,494 adults age 18 or older who answered an earlier SpringStyles survey; 3,561 were completed for a 79.2% response rate. The data was weighted to match the U.S. Current Population Survey proportions.

[1] Porter Novelli Public Services is a public relations firm with offices at 1615 L Street NW, Suite 1150, Washington, D.C. 20036.

[2] GfK’s KnowledgePanel^® members are randomly recruited using probability-based sampling and include respondents regardless of whether or not they have landline phones or Internet access. If needed, households are provided with a laptop computer and access to the Internet. The panel is continuously replenished and maintains approximately 50,000 panelists.

Results: In a comparison among federal agencies and national health organizations, CDC was found to be the most trustworthy both before (38%) and during (37%) a public health emergency. The overwhelming majority (87%) “always/sometimes” trust the information coming from CDC. Feelings of trust may be related to those of familiarity and agency performance. After the FDA, respondents were most familiar with CDC (80%), and more than three out of four felt the agency had done a good to excellent job (combined 78%). However, only 44% indicated that CDC is one of the first places they would turn to for reliable health information. Additional findings showed that of those reporting hearing about health/disease information from CDC (37%), traditional media were still the most common modes (TV = 61%, newspaper/magazine = 29%). Emergency alerts and updates (69%), disease-specific information (68%), and travel alerts/advice were the most highly sought information, and during a disease outbreak/public health event the three most important pieces of information participants believed CDC should provide include steps to take to minimize risk (66%), name of germ and ways transmitted (58%), and recommendations for treating illness (56%). Results will be compared to previous year’s Styles survey data, as well as to the findings from other national polls/surveys such as Gallup, Harris, and Pew.

Conclusions: Overall CDC is seen as a trustworthy and credible health organization, though not always a first source of choice by the public for receiving health information. Survey respondents are also very specific in the type of health information they desire from the agency.

Implications for research and/or practice: CDC should strive to continue to ensure its health messaging builds upon the level of trust its constituency holds in it, and tailor health messaging to those aspects that audiences deem noteworthy.