Have RFK and MAHA really changed American views on vaccines?
More or Less
BBC
4.6 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 25 April 2026
⏱️ 9 minutes
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Summary
Vaccine policy in the US is something of an ideological battleground.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is a vaccine sceptic, and since taking office he has attempted to remake US vaccine policy.
In March a judge blocked his proposal to cut the number of jabs that are recommended for kids.
At the same time, last year saw the worst measles outbreak in the US in decades. There were more than 2000 cases last year, and three people died. There have been more than 1500 cases so far in 2026.
There’s a lot going on, so it’s possible the public’s views on vaccination are shifting.
A new poll published by online news site Politico added a big claim into the mix. According to the headline “more Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it”.
But is that what the survey actually found?
Dr David Higgins, a paediatrician and public health assistant professor who writes a Substack called Community Immunity, explains why he believes the headline is misleading.
If you've seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Charlotte McDonald Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and thanks |
| 0:02.2 | Music, radio, podcasts |
| 0:04.4 | Hello and thanks for downloading the more or less podcast |
| 0:09.2 | with a programme that looks at the numbers in the news, in life and in surveys. |
| 0:14.7 | Yeah, often they're from surveys. |
| 0:17.3 | I'm Charlotte MacDonald. |
| 0:23.3 | Vaccine policy in the US is something of an ideological battleground. |
| 0:28.5 | Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a vaccine skeptic. |
| 0:32.8 | And since taking office, he has attempted to remake US vaccine policy. |
| 0:39.7 | In March, a judge blocked his proposal to cut the number of Japs that are recommended for kids. At the same time, last year saw the worst |
| 0:46.4 | measles outbreak in the US in decades. There were more than 2,000 cases last year and three people |
| 0:52.8 | died. There have been more than 1,500 cases so far in |
| 0:57.1 | 26. There's a lot going on, so it's possible the public's views on vaccination are shifting. |
| 1:04.3 | Then, on the 14th of April, a new poll published by online news site Politico added a big claim |
| 1:10.7 | into the mix. |
| 1:11.6 | Here's the article's headline. |
| 1:13.6 | More Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it, Politico poll finds. |
| 1:19.6 | But is that what the survey actually found? |
| 1:23.6 | It's really important that any time you see a poll or a survey data point that is an outlier, that you pause. |
| 1:32.1 | And that's exactly what I did with this. |
| 1:34.3 | This is David Higgins, a pediatrician and public health assistant professor who writes a substack called community immunity. |
| 1:42.7 | I immediately thought, wow, that seems out of step with other recent service and polls. |
... |
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