By LINLEY SANDERS, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine advocacy is outside the mainstream. His previous statements on abortion could alienate Republicans. But a new poll finds that not all of his controversial health goals are unpopular — in fact, at least one has broad support among Democrats and Republicans.
As Kennedy’s Senate confirmation hearings begin, his bid to become the nation’s top health official could depend on how staunchly he sticks to these personal beliefs during questioning. He has already softened some of his long-held views.
He’s facing some skepticism from the public, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Only about 3 in 10 US adults approve of President Donald Trump nominating him to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. About 4 in 10 disapprove, while about one-quarter are either neutral or don’t know enough to say.
But he has points of strength, too. Trump’s choice of Kennedy is especially popular among Republicans: About 6 in 10 approve, compared to about 1 in 10 Democrats. And while many Americans disagree with some of Kennedy’s controversial health stances — including beliefs around reevaluating childhood vaccine recommendations and changing guidelines around fluoride in drinking water and raw milk consumption — some of his other stances, like reformulating processed foods, are broadly popular.
Here’s what AP-NORC polling shows about which of Kennedy’s priorities are likely to be popular among U.S. adults and which might be less well-received.
More oppose than support reevaluating widely used vaccines
Kennedy has long been a vaccine skeptic, and he and Trump have falsely claimed that childhood vaccines are dangerous and tied to rising autism rates. His opposition to vaccines is broad, and he has said that “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective.”
AP-NORC polling suggests that reevaluating vaccine recommendations would be unpopular with many Americans.
About 4 in 10 Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” oppose reconsidering the government’s recommendations around widely used vaccines, like the flu vaccine, and about 3 in 10 are in favor. Another 3 in 10 Americans, roughly, are neutral.
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to favor reconsidering government recommendations for widely used vaccines, although their support isn’t overwhelming. About 4 in 10 Republicans favor reevaluating vaccine recommendations, compared with about 2 in 10 Democrats.
Wide support for restrictions on ingredients in processed foods
One of Kennedy’s ideas is popular across the board: getting some chemicals out of processed foods. Kennedy has vowed to ban certain food additives and crack down on ultra-processed foods that are tied to obesity and diabetes rates.
About two-thirds of Americans “somewhat” or “strongly” favor restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or dyes. This is an area where Democrats and Republicans agree: About 7 in 10 in each group favor the restrictions.
Support is particularly high among U.S. adults with a higher household income, though research from the National Institutes of Health has indicated that ultra-processed foods are consumed at higher rates in low-income groups. Roughly 8 in 10 adults with a household income of $100,000 or more per year support the restrictions, compared with about half of Americans with a household income of $30,000 or less.
More oppose than support removing raw milk restrictions
Kennedy indicated before the election that he would be keen to end the Food and Drug Administration’s “aggressive suppression” of raw milk. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called raw milk one of the “riskiest” foods people can consume because of the possibility for contamination.
This is a proposal for which he’d have to do some convincing to get the public on board. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults “strongly” or “somewhat” oppose removing restrictions on the sale of unpasteurized or raw milk. About 2 in 10 Americans favor this idea, with Republicans being more likely than Democrats to be in support. But even Republicans are split: About 3 in 10 are in favor, and about 3 in 10 are opposed.
Americans generally want Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight loss drugs
Kennedy has criticized prescription weight loss drugs like Ozempic, saying higher-quality food could solve the obesity problem in the U.S., but in December he pivoted, saying the drugs “have a place” in making sure people are not obese, in addition to lifestyle changes.
Americans see weight loss drugs as a good solution for adults who are obese. About half of U.S. adults say it’s “very good” or “somewhat good” for adults to use weight loss drugs if they are struggling with obesity or a weight-related health condition. And about half also favor Medicare and Medicaid covering the cost of these drugs if they are prescribed for weight loss for people with obesity.
More oppose than support removing fluoride from drinking water
Kennedy has said he wants the federal government to advise local governments against putting fluoride in their drinking water. The CDC has said small amounts of added fluoride in drinking water prevent cavities and tooth decay.
More Americans are opposed than in favor of removing fluoride from drinking water, but many don’t have an opinion on the issue, leaving room for shifts in either direction. About 4 in 10 Americans oppose removing fluoride from the water supply, and about one-quarter are in favor. An additional one-third are neutral, saying they don’t favor or oppose it. About one-third of independents and Republicans favor it, compared with about 2 in 10 Democrats.
The idea of removing fluoride from drinking water is particularly unpopular with adults 60 and older, and the data suggests that younger Americans might be more open to it. About half of adults 60 or older oppose removing fluoride from the water, compared with about 4 in 10 adults between the ages of 30 and 59. Only about 2 in 10 adults under 30 are opposed to this.
Kennedy’s views on abortion may be at odds with Republicans
Kennedy has previously expressed support for abortion rights, which contradicts the beliefs of many of the Republican lawmakers who will need to confirm him, though he has said that he will follow Trump’s directives on the topic.
He’s in a bit of a bind on the issue. About 6 in 10 voters in November’s election said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. About one-third said it should be illegal in all or most instances. But like the Republican senators who will be questioning him, conservative voters see the issue differently. Among Republican voters, about 6 in 10 said abortion should be illegal in at least “most” cases, and only about 4 in 10 said it should be mostly legal.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
