Charlotte McDonald

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

is a vaccine sceptic.

And since taking office, he has attempted to remake US vaccine policy.

In March, a judge blocked his proposal to cut the number of jabs that are recommended for kids.

At the same time, last year saw the worst measles outbreak in the US in decades.

There were more than 2,000 cases last year and three people died.

There have been more than 1,500 cases so far in 2026.

There's a lot going on, so it's possible the public's views on vaccination are shifting.

Then, on the 14th of April, a new poll published by online news site Politico added a big claim into the mix.

Here's the article's headline.

But is that what the survey actually found?

This is David Higgins, a paediatrician and public health assistant professor who writes a substack called Community Immunity.

David's not wrong.

The idea that more Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it would represent a sizeable shift in US public opinion.

For example, a Reuters Ipsos poll in February found that 84% of respondents said vaccines for diseases like measles, mumps and rubella are safe for children.

A Pew poll from November found that 84% of Americans thought the benefits of the MMR jab

outweighed the risks, a slight fall from 88% in 2023.

So what's going on with the Politico poll that found that more Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it?

In the Politico poll, 39% of respondents indicated their view was closer to the first statement, that the science on vaccines is clear and it is damaging to question it.

46% were closest to the second, the facts on vaccines are still up for debate and it is damaging to enforce their uptake.