Trust in healthcare in the U.S. - Statistic & Facts

The public's lack of trust in medical care, public health systems, and ultimately the government is the biggest challenge facing the healthcare sector in the United States. Only six in ten Americans think that the national health authorities act in the best interest of the public in general. Although Americans are skeptical of those who work for the government, professions within healthcare and academia are viewed as being more trustworthy. A recent Gallup survey revealed that among various professions, nurses, doctors, and pharmacists were held in high regard for their honesty and ethical standards. Studies also indicate that demographic factors, such as gender, age, income, education level, race/ethnicity, political identity, and language ability, influence people's trust in healthcare.

Trust in health information

Americans today have access to health information via multiple online and offline resources. More recently, the internet and social media have significantly changed how people access health information, however not all sources are considered equally trustworthy. Due to various reasons, and most recently the pandemic, public trust in traditional mass media was hammered. Fewer than three out of ten U.S. adults indicated that they trust health information reported by traditional mass media. Furthermore, public trust in health institutes like FDA, CDC, and NIH was low in 2023. According to a recent survey, scientists, health professionals, friends and family were considered by most Americans to be very trustworthy as spokespersons for medical and health research.

Trust in AI

Looking at the emerging artificial intelligence (AI) trend, with AI making advances in healthcare, there is a rising need to ensure the transparency and trustworthiness of AI-driven clinical decision-making. According to a survey, only a quarter of Americans were extremely or very comfortable with their healthcare providers relying on AI. Even among healthcare providers who use medical AI chatbots, nearly a quarter said they are skeptical to some extent of a chatbot's ability to accurately assess patient symptoms and to escalate emergency inquiries. Even though AI has the potential to transform various aspects of medical and healthcare services in the future, for now, it is difficult to dismiss public concerns around AI adoption pace, data security, health outcomes, and the impact on the patient-provider relationship.

Reasons for mistrust

America's mistrust of healthcare and medicine is largely rooted in inequality, discrimination, and disparities in health outcomes among minorities and oppressed groups. A study found that Americans who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to delay care because health providers mistreat them. Moreover, racial distrust in healthcare in the U.S. is intergenerational and should not come as a surprise. If one investigates, many medical advances have a troubling history where members of the Black community in the U.S. were treated unethically in various medical experiments and were subjected to intentional abuse and exploitation. Even today, systemic racism and negative attitudes from medical personnel often contribute to mistrust in healthcare.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Share of Americans who had a great deal of trust in their doctors: 87%

Most preferred health information source by physicians: CME modules and activities

Share of Black Americans who trusted their physicians: 71%

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Percentage of people with trust in healthcare in 2022, by country

Health Policy

Trust levels towards healthcare by country 2022

Percentage of people with trust in healthcare in select countries from 2015 to 2023, by sub-sector

Health System

Trust levels towards healthcare by sub-sector in select countries 2015-2023

Level of trust in the healthcare industry worldwide from 2016 to 2023

Health System

Trust levels towards healthcare sector worldwide 2016-2023

Recommended statistics

Overview

Basic Statistic Trust levels towards healthcare by country 2022
Trust levels towards healthcare by country 2022
Percentage of people with trust in healthcare in 2022, by country
Premium Statistic Level of trust in the WHO in 2022, by country
Level of trust in the WHO in 2022, by country
Share of people in selected worldwide countries who trust the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022
Basic Statistic Trust level in healthcare of people who took preventive care in 2022, by country
Trust level in healthcare of people who took preventive care in 2022, by country
Share of people who engaged in preventive care in 2022, by country and trust level of healthcare
Basic Statistic Trust levels towards pharma industry by country 2021
Trust levels towards pharma industry by country 2021
Percentage of people with trust in the pharmaceutical industry in 2021, by country

Trust in institutes

Premium Statistic Level of trust in selected federal agencies in the U.S in 2023
Level of trust in selected federal agencies in the U.S in 2023
How much trust do you have, if any, in information, news, or guidance from the following organizations?
Premium Statistic Level of trust in the CDC in the U.S. in 2023
Level of trust in the CDC in the U.S. in 2023
Level of trust Americans had in health information provided by The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2023
Premium Statistic Level of trust in the NIH in the U.S. in 2023
Level of trust in the NIH in the U.S. in 2023
Level of trust Americans had in health information provided by The National Institute of Health (NIH) in 2023
Premium Statistic Level of trust in the FDA in the U.S. in 2023
Level of trust in the FDA in the U.S. in 2023
Level of trust Americans had in health recommendations provided by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2023

Trust in professionals

Basic Statistic Americans' ethics ratings of healthcare professionals in the U.S. 2019-2023
Americans' ethics ratings of healthcare professionals in the U.S. 2019-2023
Share of adults who rated the honesty and ethical standards of selected healthcare professionals as “very high” or “high” in the U.S. from 2019 to 2023
Basic Statistic Public opinion: Confidence in select professions U.S. 2023
Public opinion: Confidence in select professions U.S. 2023
How much confidence do you have in each of the following to act in your best interest?
Basic Statistic Trustworthiness of medical and health research spokespersons U.S. 2023
Trustworthiness of medical and health research spokespersons U.S. 2023
How trustworthy do you consider each of the following to be as spokespersons for medical and health research?
Premium Statistic Adults who trust scientists in the U.S. in 2023, by ethnicity
Adults who trust scientists in the U.S. in 2023, by ethnicity
Share of adults who have trust in scientists to act in the best interests of the public as of October 2023, by ethnicity
Premium Statistic Level of trust in medical scientists in the U.S. 2019-2023
Level of trust in medical scientists in the U.S. 2019-2023
Distribution of trust adults have in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public from 2019 to 2023
Premium Statistic Level of trust in the state and local public health officials in the U.S.in 2023
Level of trust in the state and local public health officials in the U.S.in 2023
Level of trust Americans had in health recommendations provided by their state and local public health officials in 2023

Trust in media

Premium Statistic Measures consumers took to verify conflicting health information in the U.S. in 2023
Measures consumers took to verify conflicting health information in the U.S. in 2023
Share of measures consumers took to verify conflicting information about health and pharmaceutical products in the United States as of 2023
Premium Statistic Level of trust in health information by social media sources in the U.S. 2023
Level of trust in health information by social media sources in the U.S. 2023
Share of level of trust in health information reported by selected social media platforms in the U.S. in 2023
Premium Statistic Level of trust in health information by media sources in the U.S. 2023
Level of trust in health information by media sources in the U.S. 2023
Distribution of level of trust in health information reported by traditional media sources in the U.S. in 2023

Trust in AI

Premium Statistic Consumers who trust medical advice from generative AI worldwide in 2023, by country
Consumers who trust medical advice from generative AI worldwide in 2023, by country
Share of consumers worldwide who believed that medical opinions or suggestions from generative AI would be helpful as of 2023, by selected countries
Premium Statistic Doctors' trust in chatbots' abilities in the U.S. in 2023
Doctors' trust in chatbots' abilities in the U.S. in 2023
Distribution of doctors’ confidence in chatbots’ ability to assess patient symptoms in the United States in 2023
Premium Statistic Comfort levels with a healthcare provider relying on AI in the U.S. 2023
Comfort levels with a healthcare provider relying on AI in the U.S. 2023
Distribution of respondents' comfort levels if their healthcare provider relied on AI in the United States in 2023
Premium Statistic Important factors when deciding for AI-led primary care in the U.S. 2023
Important factors when deciding for AI-led primary care in the U.S. 2023
Share of respondents who said the following factors were important when deciding for AI-led primary care in the U.S. in 2023
Premium Statistic Preference interacting with AI or medical professional in the U.S. 2023, by situation
Preference interacting with AI or medical professional in the U.S. 2023, by situation
Preference interacting with AI or medical professional in the following situations in the United States in 2023

Patients Perspective - trust and mistrust

Basic Statistic Patients' trust in physicians in the U.S. in 2021, by race
Patients' trust in physicians in the U.S. in 2021, by race
Share of trust patients had in their physicians in the United States in 2021, by race
Basic Statistic Patients' reasons for mistrust in physicians in the U.S. in 2021
Patients' reasons for mistrust in physicians in the U.S. in 2021
Distribution of patients' reasons for mistrust in their doctors in the United States in 2021
Premium Statistic Patients who felt they were not being heard by their doctor in the U.S. in 2023
Patients who felt they were not being heard by their doctor in the U.S. in 2023
Share of patients who felt their healthcare provider was not listening to them in the U.S. in 2023, by age
Premium Statistic Patients in the U.S. who were afraid to speak up in a medical appointment in 2023
Patients in the U.S. who were afraid to speak up in a medical appointment in 2023
Share of patients who were afraid to speak up during a healthcare appointment in the U.S. in 2023, by age
Premium Statistic Physician assistant care qualities that make patients feel valued in the U.S. in 2023
Physician assistant care qualities that make patients feel valued in the U.S. in 2023
Share of qualities of physician assistant (PA) care that makes patients feel valued in the U.S. in 2023, by care relationship status

Physicians perspective - trust and mistrust

Premium Statistic Level of trust the public and physicians had in the U.S. healthcare system in 2021
Level of trust the public and physicians had in the U.S. healthcare system in 2021
Comparison of the level of trust the public and physicians had in the U.S. healthcare system in 2021
Basic Statistic Physicians' views on why patients mistrust the U.S. health care system in 2021
Physicians' views on why patients mistrust the U.S. health care system in 2021
Distribution of reasons physicians believe contributed to patients' mistrust in the U.S. health care system in 2021
Premium Statistic Sources physicians prefer to receive health-related information in the U.S. in 2021
Sources physicians prefer to receive health-related information in the U.S. in 2021
Share of physicians' preferred sources for receiving health and health care information in the U.S. in 2021

Racism and trust

Premium Statistic Americans who view racism as a big issue in health care in 2023, by race and party ID
Americans who view racism as a big issue in health care in 2023, by race and party ID
Share of adults who believe racism is a major problem in health care in the U.S. as of August 2023, by race and party identification
Premium Statistic Level of trust U.S. adults had in healthcare providers in 2023, by race
Level of trust U.S. adults had in healthcare providers in 2023, by race
Distribution of level of trust adults had in doctors and other health care providers to do what is right for them and their community in the U.S. as of August 2023, by race
Premium Statistic Impact of discrimination on trust in U.S. health care in 2023
Impact of discrimination on trust in U.S. health care in 2023
Distribution of level of trust U.S. adults had in doctors and other health care providers by experience of racial discrimination as of August 2023

COVID and mistrust

Basic Statistic Reasons for lack of trust in the CDC for COVID-19 information in the U.S. 2022
Reasons for lack of trust in the CDC for COVID-19 information in the U.S. 2022
Share of main reasons why Americans lacked trust in the CDC for accurate COVID-19 information as of February 2022
Basic Statistic Reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among U.S. adults as of December 2020
Reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among U.S. adults as of December 2020
Leading reasons adults in the United States stated they would definitely not or probably not get a COVID-19 vaccination as of December 2020
Basic Statistic Reasons U.S. essential care workers were hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccination 2022
Reasons U.S. essential care workers were hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccination 2022
Percentage of essential care workers in the United States who were hesitant to vaccinate against COVID-19 for select reasons as of 2022
Basic Statistic Share of U.S. adults certain of COVID-19 misinformation as of 2023
Share of U.S. adults certain of COVID-19 misinformation as of 2023
Percentage of adults who were certain or uncertain of select false claims about COVID-19 in the United States as of 2023
Basic Statistic Share of U.S. adults certain of COVID-19 misinformation as of 2023, by race/ethnicity
Share of U.S. adults certain of COVID-19 misinformation as of 2023, by race/ethnicity
Percentage of adults who thought select false claims about COVID-19 were definitely or probably true in the United States as of 2023, by race and ethnicity

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