A new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has revealed that only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
But President Trump’s choice of Kennedy is popular among Republicans: About 6 in 10 approve, compared to about 1 in 10 Democrats.
According to the poll, Kennedy’s controversial health stances — including beliefs around reevaluating childhood vaccine recommendations and changing guidelines around fluoride in drinking water and raw milk consumption — are opposed by many. However, some of his other stances, like reformulating processed foods, are broadly popular.
Kennedy, who is a longtime vaccine skeptic, has received bipartisan criticism over his controversial views about vaccines and healthcare.
During his confirmation hearing Wednesday, Kennedy faced tough questions from Democrats who grilled him over his past statements about vaccines and abortion.
Ahead of the hearing, Kennedy’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy, wrote a letter to senators saying that he has “dangerous” views on vaccines.
She accused him of vaccinating his own children while discouraging others from doing so. “Bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie, and cheat his way through life,” she wrote.
The AP-NORC survey suggests that reassessing vaccine recommendations would be opposed by many Americans.
About 4 in 10 Americans “strongly” or “somewhat” oppose Kennedy’s stance about reconsidering the government’s recommendations regarding vaccines. About 3 in 10 are in favor of such a move.
The poll further says Republicans are more likely than Democrats to support reevaluating official recommendations for widely used vaccines, but this support is not overwhelming.
About 4 in 10 Republicans support such proposals, compared with about 2 in 10 Democrats.
The survey of 1,147 respondents, taken from Jan. 9 to 13, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
