Trust in physicians has dropped 32%, in part due to misinformation and politicization, a study published in July says.
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Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, trust in physicians and hospitals has steadily declined in the U.S., a recent study finds.
In April 2020, a month after the pandemic began, 72% of Americans said they trusted physicians and hospitals, a study in July’s JAMA Network Open said. By January 2024, trust had declined to 40%.
“Trust in physicians and hospitals has been associated with achieving public health goals, but the increasing politicization of public health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic may have adversely affected such trust,” the researchers said.
During the early years of the pandemic, medicine and public health became highly politicized. Misinformation was amplified by public figures, including some physicians and the U.S. president. Elected leaders and popular personas encouraged people to doubt science and disregard public health advice that was aimed at protecting their health.
The study was based on a self-reported internet survey posted regularly on various U.S. sites from April 2020 through January 2024. Over 500,000 people participated from all 50 states.
People who reported that they trusted physicians and hospitals were more likely to receive their COVID-19 vaccination and boosters as well as flu vaccinations.
Men tended to have more trust than women, the study found, but for both genders, trust decreased over the four-year study period.
Trust also varied by race and ethnicity. White and Asian people had the highest trust in physicians and hospitals, followed by Hispanic people. Black people had the lowest trust.
Older adults had more trust than younger adults. People 65 and older had the most trust.
While trust fell across all socioeconomic groups, people who had lower levels were more likely to have less education, lower incomes and live in rural areas.
Reasons why people distrusted physicians and hospitals were collected from some of the people surveyed. Respondents said they believed physicians and hospitals were motivated by money rather than improving the health of patients, offered poor health care, and showed discrimination and bias toward patients.
Further research should delve into understanding the lack of trust in doctors and hospitals, the researchers suggested.
For more information, visit https://jamanetworkopen.com.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
