CDC Anti-Vaccine Messaging Undermines Public Trust in Vaccines, Survey Finds

May 1, 2026

The CDC revised its website in 2024 at the direction of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine advocate, to suggest a possible link between vaccines and autism despite extensive research disproving such a connection. A study published in Science surveyed 2,989 US adults and found that participants who read the revised CDC messaging judged vaccines as riskier, were less likely to trust the CDC or get vaccinated, and were more prone to conspiracy-based reasoning, with effects consistent across political affiliations. Public health experts warned the revision could cause parents to skip lifesaving vaccines amid already declining US childhood immunization rates. Lead researcher Robert Böhm of the University of Vienna called for mandatory peer review of vaccine information before publication on government websites, noting that the CDC serves as an authoritative voice for most Americans who don't closely follow health guidelines.

CDC Website Revision Under Kennedy's Influence

▪A large body of research has disproved a link between autism spectrum disorder and vaccinations.
▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
▪The revised CDC website states that studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines contribute to the development of autism.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made a major revision to its website in 2024 at the behest of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine advocate.
▪The revised CDC website states that a link between autism spectrum disorder and vaccinations is possible and should be studied.

Study Findings on Impact of Revised Messaging

▪The study on CDC messaging separated participants into three groups to test different versions of vaccine-autism information.
▪Robert Böhm was the lead author of the study on CDC messaging about vaccines and autism.
▪Researchers surveyed 2,989 adults living in the United States for the study on CDC messaging about vaccines and autism.
▪Participants who read the revised CDC messaging judged vaccines to be riskier compared with those who had not read the updated website.
▪A study on the CDC website revision was published in the journal Science.
▪The revised CDC statement had a similar effect on study respondents regardless of their political affiliation.
▪Participants who read the revised CDC messaging were more likely to engage in conspiracy-based reasoning.
▪Participants who read the revised CDC messaging were less likely to get recommended vaccinations.
▪Robert Böhm is a social psychologist at the University of Vienna.

Expert Concerns About Government Health Communication Standards

▪Adam Berinsky did not contribute to the research on CDC messaging about vaccines and autism.
▪Adam Berinsky is a political scientist and director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Political Experiments Research Lab.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the foremost public health authority in the United States.

Perspective of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. believes that studies supporting a link between vaccines and autism have been ignored by health authorities.
▪Robert F. Kennedy Jr. contends that existing studies have not adequately ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines contribute to autism development.