Since the start of the pandemic, State Policy Network has been working with Heart+Mind Strategies to track public opinion related to COVID-19 and the government’s response.

Over the course of the last 22 months, trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dropped by nearly 20 points, from 60% right after the first lockdowns began to just 41% as 2021 ended.

Like many pandemic related issues, there is a strong partisan split on the issue. Democrats are more likely to have faith in the CDC with 62% saying they trusted the agency in December 2021 compared to just 26% of Republicans.  Democrats were more likely to trust the CDC even during the Trump Administration, although the gap was less pronounced. Older Americans (65+) and college graduates are also more likely to trust the agency.

The Heart+Mind Strategies Pulse study uses an online survey of n=1,000 Americans representative of age, gender, race, region, education and political party according to US Census Data.