About 1 in 3 Americans say RFK Jr. recommends measles vaccination

by Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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The number of measles cases in the United States is at its highest level in decades, a rise attributed to declining measles vaccination rates. Although U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told American parents on Aug. 2 that they should get their children vaccinated against measles, the public remains nearly evenly divided on whether he recommends the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.

According to the latest nationally representative survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania, conducted Aug. 4–17, 2026, among more than 1,900 U.S. adults, 31% say Kennedy recommends that children be vaccinated against measles. That is a significant increase from August 2025, when 23% thought he recommended measles vaccination for children.

Most people, however, either think Kennedy does not recommend the vaccine (29%) or are unsure whether he recommends it (40%). The public is nearly evenly divided between those who think he does (31%) and those who think he does not (29%) recommend it.

A longtime vaccine skeptic, Kennedy has, as HHS secretary, made misleading and unsupported claims about the MMR vaccine, measles and vaccination in general, according to FactCheck.org, a project of APPC. He also has downplayed the risks of measles and the 2025 measles outbreak in Texas.

"As measles cases rise and the U.S. is poised to lose its measles elimination status, this country is paying the price for skepticism about vaccination against measles that RFK Jr. played a central role in promoting," said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, APPC's director emerita. "His ability to address the current U.S. measles outbreaks is hampered by the fact that most adults are either unsure about his stand on childhood vaccination against measles or believe that he does not recommend it."

Most Americans agree with the American Academy of Pediatrics that there is no link between vaccines and autism

On Nov. 19, 2025, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed the language on its "Autism and Vaccines" webpage from "studies have shown there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD)" to "The claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism."

In our survey, we asked respondents which statement came closer to their view: "Studies have repeatedly found no credible link between life-saving childhood vaccines and autism"—a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)—or "The claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism," the statement on the CDC's webpage.

A majority of respondents (55%) say their view is closer to the AAP's, while 18% say their view is closer to the CDC's. Another 27% are not sure which statement comes closer to their view.

Annenberg researchers have found that holding false beliefs about vaccines, including that the MMR vaccine causes autism, is associated with a reduced likelihood of recommending the MMR vaccine and with reluctance to take or recommend some other vaccines.

"Measles is highly contagious," says APPC research analyst Laura A. Gibson. "As we've seen this year, communities that don't maintain 95% vaccination rates are at risk for outbreaks."

Nearly 7 in 10 do not believe childhood vaccines cause autism

A majority (68%) of respondents say it is false that "vaccines given to children for diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella cause autism," while 13% say the statement is true and 19% are not sure. These percentages are statistically unchanged since 2022. In June 2021, however, significantly more respondents (74%) thought it was false to claim there is a link between vaccines and autism.

Just over half (52%) think children who are fully vaccinated are "about as likely" to show signs of autism as children who are not fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, 9% think fully vaccinated children are "more likely," 12% believe they are "less likely," and 28% are not sure. The share saying fully vaccinated children are "more likely" to show signs of autism has decreased from 12% in February 2026.

"This small decrease in endorsing a link between vaccination and autism is good news in our survey data," says Ken Winneg, APPC's managing director of survey research. "However, when looking at the same people over time, there is no relationship between accurate change in knowledge of RFK Jr."s recommendations and decreases in endorsing this misbelief."

RFK Jr.'s favorability remains low, with more 'very unfavorable' views

Fewer than 1 in 4 respondents (23%) say their view of Kennedy is favorable, unchanged from August 2025. Half (50%) say they have an unfavorable opinion of him: 42% say their view is "very unfavorable," and 8% say it is "somewhat unfavorable." While Kennedy's overall unfavorable rating has not changed since August 2025, significantly more people say their view is "very unfavorable" in 2026 than in 2025 (42% vs. 37%).

About the survey

The latest wave of the Annenberg Science and Public Health (ASAPH) survey was conducted for the Annenberg Public Policy Center by SSRS, an independent research company. Interviews were conducted online and by telephone among a nationally representative probability sample drawn from the SSRS Opinion Panel, with the data weighted to represent the U.S. adult population. The survey was conducted Aug. 4–17, 2026, among 1,904 U.S. adults. The margin of sampling error is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Key medical concepts

measles vaccinationMeaslesMeasles-Mumps-Rubella VaccineAutistic Disorder

Clinical categories

Children's healthPediatricsPreventive medicineCommon illnesses & PreventionInfectious diseases Provided by Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania Who's behind this story?

Gaby Clark

MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

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