RFK Jr. and MAHA agenda divide country but vaccines have widespread support: Poll
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's overall approval rating sits at 51 percent, though the party breakdown shows a big divide between Democrats and the GOP.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda unites people from both parties - but not always in favor of his positions, a recent poll shows.
Most Americans blame the food industry for the nation's chronic health problems, echoing arguments Kennedy has long made against “Big Food,” according to the results of the NBC News Decision Desk Poll released June 16. At the same time, close to 80% of U.S. adults support the use of vaccines for prevention of diseases - a stark contrast from the controversial views on vaccines held by the Cabinet secretary appointed by President Donald Trump.
Public opinion of Kennedy Jr. is also divided: 51% of the respondents said it was favorable and 48% picked unfavorable for the former 2024 presidential candidate who ran as a Democrat and then as an independent before dropping out to endorse Trump.
A majority of Democrats (82%) say their opinion of Kennedy is either strongly "unfavorable" or “somewhat unfavorable,” while 84% Republicans view Kennedy as either “strongly favorable” or “somewhat favorable.” Among independents, 52% have a favorable view of Kennedy, the son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.
The poll was conducted online from May 30-June 10 among a national sample of 19,410 adults age 18 and up. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points. Among the poll participants, 37% described themselves as Democrats, 37% as Republicans and 26% as “Independent or something else.”
Asked about the use of vaccines to prevent diseases, 69% of Republicans, 93% of Democrats and 76% of independents responded to the NBC poll that they support immunizations to protect public health.
Kennedy has repeatedly called into question the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Earlier this month, he fired the entire committee that advises the federal government on vaccine safety, implying that it was not conducting "adequate safety trials" before recommending new vaccines to children. Kennedy later appointed to the panel a physician criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories. Vaccine experts widely dispute Kennedy's characterizations.
NBC's pollsters also asked who deserved the most blame for America’s chronic health problems, including obesity and heart disease. A majority at 35% blamed the food industry, followed closely by the “choices of individuals” at 32%.
Kennedy has been a big critic of Big Food and Big Pharma, blaming them for Americans' high rates of chronic ailments like Type 2 Diabetes and accusing the industries of profiting by keeping Americans sick. In April, he announced that eight artificial dyes will be eliminated from medications and the nation's food supply by the end of 2026, including those found in candy, ice cream, soft drinks and jams.
Only 6% of respondents blamed environmental toxins - which Kennedy has blamed a host of ailments on - as a reason for chronic diseases.
The MAHA Commission report released by Kennedy last month identifies various toxins and environmental factors as potential contributors to chronic disease in American children. He has also announced a series of studies aimed at studying possible environment causes behind autism, which scientists continue to push back on.
Last month, the right-leaning think tank Foundation for Government Accountability released a poll showing a similar pattern to NBC's results. It found more than 80% of Democrats and Republicans said they were in support of a U.S. prohibition on certain dyes and chemicals from foods in the same way they were banned in some European countries.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent for Paste BN. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal