Polls conducted among a representative group of Americans in May and October show about a 10 percent drop in trust in the CDC over that period, according to the nonprofit think tank.
In opposition, public trust in the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) increased massively over the same period, despite those agencies facing their own challenges, the study found.
“The Biden administration will have an uphill battle in rehabilitating trust in the CDC at this critical junction in the coronavirus pandemic,” said Michael Pollard, lead author of the study and a senior social scientist at RAND. “A key challenge in the months ahead will be to identify who will be viewed as trusted messengers regarding vaccines and public health policies.”
WATCH:ELON MUSK TALKS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF SELF DRIVING CARS
The research revealed that non-Latino white and Latino respondents reported significant decays in trust in the CDC, while the changes were not statistically significant for non-Hispanic black or “other race” respondents.
“There is remarkable consistency and convergence in reported levels of trust in the CDC across these subgroups after the declines,” Pollard said. “Lack of trust among black Americans has been a well-publicized concern regarding the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and the convergence in lower levels of trust across race/ethnicity highlights a key challenge that the CDC now faces.”
WATCH ALAN DERSHOWITZ: "THERE IS NO CRIME IN MANHATTAN"
Black Americans have historically held a flat level of belief in the CDC and other health institutions, generally seen as having a legacy of past prejudice in the nation’s health system.
RAND researchers questioned a representative sample of more than 2,000 Americans in May, asking them to rate their trust in the CDC, the USPS, and FEMA on a scale of zero to 10. Most of the participants were surveyed again in October. All participants were part of the RAND American Life Panel, a nationally representative internet board.
PUTIN'S LATEST POWER MOVE: RUSSIA DISPLAYS "WAR WINS" IN EYE-OPENING EXHIBITION
The study found that confidence in the CDC dropped from 7.6 in May to 7 in October. Meanwhile, trust in the Postal Service rose from 6.9 in May to 7.7 in October; trust in FEMA rose from 6.4 in May to 6.7 in October.
HOW DEMOCRATS' ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS ARE TURNING INTO THEIR WORST NIGHTMARE
The drop in trust of the CDC was especially notable among people who planned to vote for a candidate other than Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election or didn’t intend to vote at all, suggesting that views of the CDC are now strongly politicized. Similar politicization was not observed for FEMA or the USPS.
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
