Rebuilding Trust in Public Health Messaging

A recent poll found that only 54% of Americans have a positive rating of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48% have a positive rating of the Food and Drug Administration, and only 41% of Americans have a “great deal of trust” in their state health department. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials have had the difficult job of attempting to communicate clear and consistent messaging while battling rapidly changing information and widespread misinformation. With the recent monkeypox outbreak and the first U.S. polio case in almost a decade, the need to examine strategies for rebuilding American’s trust in public health guidance is clear. This briefing will provide a brief overview of successful federal, state, and local examples of public health messaging, historical examples of mistrust, and how public health officials can overcome these barriers. This panel will also discuss potential strategies for rebuilding trust in public health officials and institutions, such as further diversifying the workforce, effective and consistent communication, improving data collection on subpopulations, and tailoring public health messaging to specific communities.