New Poll: a Supermajority of Americans Support Medical Freedom

By Adam Garrie, Breaking News Reporter, The MAHA Report

While the legacy media continues to advance the narrative that supporters of medical freedom are a fringe minority, a new poll, conducted in late February, reveals the opposite is true.

The poll, commissioned by the Health Freedom Defense Fund and the Brownstone Institute, was conducted by John Zogby Strategies. It covered issues central to medical freedom and surveyed a near-equal number of Republicans and Democrats. Its findings were unimpeachable: a supermajority of Americans support the core tenets of medical freedom.

Zogby Strategies sampled 1,000 registered voters—93.6% of whom were definitely or very likely to vote—with a partisan split of 37% Republican, 36% Democrat, and 27% Independent. The margin of error is ±3.2 percentage points for the full sample.

The results represent the most comprehensive set of data on medical freedom-related isues of the MAHA era.

Informed Consent

Poll participants were asked their views on several issues which directly relate to informed consent – meaning, healthcare providers communicate essential information to patients.

A total of 87.9% of respondents believe that a patient must retain his or her full right to refuse any medical treatment. Nearly 60% responded that they agreed strongly with this position. Regarding informed consent narrowly focused on vaccines, 80.4% of those surveyed believe that any adult has the right to refuse vaccination. 70.6% expressed a view that one’s refusal to be vaccinated should never result in any form of discrimination – such as employment or access to public accommodation including, but not limited to, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, or public transportation.

When asked if doctors should be able to discuss concerns about vaccines, openly without fear of medical board backlash, 88.1% of respondents expressed agreement, with 64.5% strongly agreeing. (This issue is highly relevant as an ongoing investigation instigated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton seeks to uncover a web of financial kickbacks which incentivize doctors to over-vaccinate patients without providing alternative options.)

As for alternatives to vaccines: 76.1% agreed that insurance companies should cover alternative immunization/immunity treatments that differ from traditional vaccination.

Over-medicalization of Children

Several questions dealt with the issue of parental rights to shield children from over-medicalization. 65.7% of adults believe that parents have the right to refuse vaccination on behalf of their children and dependents.

54.5% of all those surveyed believe that parents have the explicit right to opt their children out of school vaccine mandates. This majority grows to 66.7% among parents of children aged 17 or younger.

Turning to college students, 65.4% of respondents believe that expulsions from colleges and universities over vaccine status are wrong.

Covid

When asked if Covid-era lockdowns and related restrictions were damaging to society, 61.2% agreed that they were.

Photo of Jeffrey Tucker

Writing for the Brownstone Institute, authors Jeffrey Tucker and Leslie Manookian made the following assessment: “Retrospective judgment on Covid policies leans toward viewing them as excessively damaging. Trust in figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci and associated public health directives remain low (around 28–35%), with majorities believing guidance prioritized other interests or enabled excessive restrictions.”

Over sixty-eight percent of respondents support further HHS-directed research into vaccine safety and risk profiles. Meanwhile, 77.8% support further research into the risks of thimerosal (a mercury byproduct), aluminum, Polysorbate-80, Polyethylene Glycol, and formaldehyde used in common medical products, including vaccines. Both of these positions are in line with the stated priorities of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Trump.

Erosion of Public Trust

According to Tucker and Manookian, “Overall, the poll shows very strong support (80–88%) for adult medical autonomy, the right to refuse treatment/vaccines as adults, freedom of medical speech for doctors, and protection from employment discrimination based on medical choices.”

When comparing responses regarding adult versus childhood medical freedom, the authors conclude, “Majority support remains when the question involves children (school mandates 54–66%, parental refusal for dependents 66%). More noteworthy, however, these results illustrate erosion in public support for school vaccine mandates since 2019 as also seen in other surveys.”

Photo of Leslie Manookian with RFK Jr. Photo by Leslie Manookian

The new data reveals the opposite message to the one pumped out to Americans on mainstream media. Not only is medical freedom popular, but it cuts across political divides. Likewise, broad support for medical freedom remains consistently strong across ethnic, racial, and gender lines.

Commenting on the ability of medical freedom issues to unite a politically polarized country, Tucker and Manookian conclude, “The lessons of this poll are palpable. If people are asked straightforward questions that impact their own health and medical wishes, and those of their families, they clearly come down on the side of freedom, transparency, honesty, and choice. This should not be surprising because these are core American values on which people are more united than divided.”