{"id":269528,"date":"2025-07-10T09:58:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T13:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=269528"},"modified":"2025-07-10T10:19:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T14:19:49","slug":"americans-views-on-who-influences-health-policy-and-which-health-issues-to-prioritize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/science\/2025\/07\/10\/americans-views-on-who-influences-health-policy-and-which-health-issues-to-prioritize\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans\u2019 Views on Who Influences Health Policy and Which Health Issues To Prioritize"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
How we did this<\/summary>\n

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand Americans\u2019 views of health issues facing the country today, the influence of various groups and institutions on health policy, and the federal government\u2019s role in certain health programs. For this analysis, we surveyed 5,085 U.S. adults from April 28 to May 4, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone who took part in the survey is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection. Interviews were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the questions used for this report<\/a>, the topline<\/a> and the survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Americans are in the midst of ongoing discussion and debate about which health issues are most pressing and who should play a role in addressing them. According to a new Pew Research Center survey, a solid majority of U.S. adults (69%) say health insurance companies have too much influence on public debates about health policy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chart<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of the eight groups and institutions we asked about in this survey \u2013 such as Congress, the general public and federal courts \u2013 health insurance companies are the one that a majority of Americans agree has too much sway in health policy. Just 9% say they have about the right amount of influence, and an equal share say they don\u2019t have enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although politics and health policy are often deeply entangled, this dim opinion of health insurance companies\u2019 influence is an area of notable partisan agreement.<\/strong> Roughly equal shares of Democrats (including those who lean to the Democratic Party) and Republicans (and GOP leaners) express this view. Similar shares of Democrats and Republicans also say Congress has too much influence on health policy, although this view is less widely held than it is for health insurance companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, views are more mixed when it comes to the role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency has undergone major restructuring and cuts<\/a> under the Trump administration, and the public is split about its health policy role. Overall, 33% say the agency doesn\u2019t have enough influence over health policy, while 25% disagree and say it has too much influence. That\u2019s about the same as the share who see the organization as having about the right amount of influence (27%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Republicans and Democrats express sharply opposing views on the CDC.<\/strong> While 53% of Democrats say the CDC doesn\u2019t have enough policy influence, 45% of Republicans say it has too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to government institutions and insurance companies, health scientists also play a role in shaping health policy. And on balance, the public sees them as not having enough influence. About half of Americans express this view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The share rises to a majority among Democrats. By a 37 percentage point margin, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to see health scientists as not having enough influence (70% vs. 33%).<\/strong> This finding tracks with our previous polling that found that Democrats are far more supportive of scientists playing a role in policymaking than Republicans<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, more Republicans say health scientists don\u2019t have enough policy influence (33%) than have too much influence (22%). And 28% say their influence is about right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This survey, conducted from April 28 to May 4, 2025, builds on our work tracking Americans\u2019 views on scientists and their influence on policy<\/a>. We conducted the current survey to understand Americans\u2019 views on the role of health experts and institutions on health policies and programs. The survey also explored how much of a problem they feel long-standing and emerging health issues are for the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find more details on:<\/em><\/strong> Which health issues are problems for the country today?<\/a> | How important is the federal government\u2019s role in health programs and policies?<\/a> | How much health policy influence do different groups and institutions have?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other key takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n