TPA Releases a New Survey Exposing Americans’ Wide Distrust & Disapproval of RFK Jr.’s Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224)-456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A newly released survey indicates widespread disapproval of Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. Respondents expressed little confidence in Secretary Kennedy’s ability to make sound healthcare decisions on behalf of patients and voiced concern that his ongoing financial ties to pharmaceutical litigation create an ethical conflict in overseeing the nation’s health infrastructure.

In the survey of 2,030 U.S. adults, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA), 50 percent of Americans do not trust Secretary Kennedy to make the best decisions for Americans’ health, and disapprove of his job performance overall. Just 29 percent trust Secretary Kennedy’s decision-making, and 36 percent approve of his performance as HHS secretary.

“This survey reflects what many conservatives have feared—that Secretary Kennedy is jeopardizing President Trump’s America First agenda,” said David Williams, President of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. “President Trump, who repeatedly ran on expanding patient choice, should consider whether he is truly comfortable with a Cabinet secretary who demonstrates such disregard for patient freedom.”

Secretary Kennedy received low approval marks, despite respondents being broadly unaware of his long history of working with trial lawyers. After being informed of his long and continued relationship with the trial bar, 59 percent of respondents said it was unethical for Secretary Kennedy to oversee Americans’ health, while trust in his decision-making declined to just 25 percent.

“The more people learn about Secretary Kennedy’s efforts to undermine patient choice and compromise healthcare access, the less they like,” Williams said. “And the more they learn about his continued crony ties to the trial lobby through family members, the less they trust him.”

Secretary Kennedy’s well-documented efforts to require prescriptions and increase barriers to vaccines appear to be out of line with most Americans’ views on the subject. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (74 percent) reported having received a vaccine in the past five years, and 64 percent say they believe FDA-approved vaccines are safe, compared to just 18 percent who disagree.

Those efforts also appear to be at odds with President Trump himself, who oversaw the remarkable development of COVID-19 vaccines through Operation Warp Speed and ensured the quick elimination of regulatory barriers standing in the way. In September, the President said, “You have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work. They’re not controversial at all. And I think those vaccines should be used.”

“Secretary Kennedy’s policies are deeply out of step with mainstream Americans, who want continued access to vaccines that protect them against deadly diseases,” Williams said. “A year out from the midterms, President Trump risks undermining his otherwise transformative agenda by empowering an HHS secretary who is deeply distrusted and whose policies are widely disliked.”

View the full poll crosstabs here and the full memo here.

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About this YouGov Survey

This survey is based on 2,030 interviews conducted by YouGov on the internet of U.S. adults between September 5 and September 9, 2025. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, and U.S. Census region based on voter registration lists, the U.S. Census American Community Survey, and the U.S. Census Current Population Survey, as well as 2020 Presidential vote and approximate 2024 Presidential vote based on available results. Respondents were selected from YouGov to be nationally representative of U.S. adults.

About the Taxpayers Protection Alliance

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis, and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy. TPA, through its network of taxpayers and consumers, holds politicians accountable for the effects of their policies on the size, scope, efficiency, and activity of government, and offers real solutions to runaway deficits and debt.