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Trust in healthcare information from trusted professionals is steadily declining, according to a study released by the Edelman Trust Institute on Thursday. 

Surveying over 16,000 people across 16 countries, the special report on trust and health featured some concerning insights for healthcare professionals (HCP) and medical communicators. 

One of the most notable findings is that there has been a surge in the percentage of young people — those between the ages of 18 to 34 — who disregard medical advice from professionals in favor of advice from friends, family and social media. 

Forty-five percent of young people reported disregarding information from HCPs and instead taking advice from friends and family, while 38% instead took advice from social media. This represents a year-over-year increase of 13 and 12 percentage points, respectively. 

An alarming statistic was that more than half of young people admitted to making regrettable health decisions based on medical misinformation, citing social media as the main culprit. 

There has been a spike in belief, especially amongst young people, that average people know just as much about health as their doctors. 

“This was really surprising to see,” said Courtney Gray Haupt, the global health co-chair and U.S. chair at Edelman. “It is a real indicator that young people are turning away from academic credentials.”

Trendlines in the wrong direction

This follows in line with recent trends on the changing nature of where young patients receive health advice.

The rise in patients valuing advice from friends and family at the same amount as HCPs was first observed between 2022 and 2023, according to Edelman.

Additionally, 45% of young people said that those without formal medical degrees or health credentials have a large influence over their healthcare decisions.

Haupt noted that this disconnect is likely a cause of the widespread distrust in health leaders and institutions that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. She stressed that while there is not a clear correlation, there is a relationship between the two. 

Overall, patients are looking for more of a nuanced understanding of what they are going through with their health, Haupt noted.

“Young people turning away from credentials is a sign that they are valuing that lived experience that comes with a disease and placing that on par with academic background,” she said.

The study results also indicate that more young patients are looking for more empathy and connection during conversations about their health needs with their care team.

Friends and family, as well as social media, are able to address that gap, she explained, as these communications are often more personal and story-based in nature.

“People are looking for a sense of trust from their providers,” Haupt said, adding that HCPs and medical communicators need to infuse more relatable storytelling methods into their daily discourse.

HCPs, media have work to do

Among other findings in the report, 66% of the participants indicated that for them to see someone as a legitimate health expert, they want them to understand the patient’s wants and needs. This includes being able to discuss nuanced details about their experiences and share stories.

Leveraging patient advocates and community forums are some strategies Haupt suggested HCPs could pursue to connect further with their patients.

The study also found that trust in the media to report healthcare information has severely declined since 2019.

Nearly 60% of survey respondents said that they worry that journalists “purposely mislead” the public on health information.

Trust in health institutions and federal organizations is no better, as trust in businesses and NGOs to provide health information declined by three and six percentage points between 2023 and 2025.

Current trust in the government to provide accurate health information sits at 46%, just one percentage point higher than the trust in media to relay the same information.

These numbers emerge partly as a result of a growing trend where politics have become a more prominent factor in accessing healthcare.

Almost 50% of youth respondents said they would not trust an HCP’s advice or would stop seeing them unless they share their same political beliefs, marking a 5% increase from 2024.

In order to combat these trends, Haupt suggested HCPs double down on reaching people in a relatable way with empathy at the forefront.

Insights from the study suggest that more investment in communication — especially through local channels like investments in NGOs, health leaders and community forums — are ways to build trust and untwine some of the conflation between healthcare access and politics.

“There is a lot of work to do, but we can get to a place where it can be better,” said Haupt.