KFF Polling on Health Information and Trust

About three in ten adults say they use social media to find health information and advice “at least monthly,” including larger shares of younger adults, Black and Hispanic adults, lower income adults, and those with lower educational attainment. For more information see KFF’s June 2026 Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust.

About one-third of adults who use social media for health information say a “major reason” they turned to social media for health advice was because they wanted to learn from people with similar experiences or because they wanted immediate information or support. About one in six users cite difficulty accessing or affording health care as a major reason.  

Similar shares of adults who use social media for health information or use AI chatbots for health information cite difficulties accessing or affording health care as major reasons they turned to these tools for health advice. These reasons are more commonly cited among lower income social media and AI users. For additional information on use of AI for health information, see AI and Health Information section below.

While fewer than half of the public report actively using social media at least monthly to find health information and advice, larger shares report being exposed to such information in the past month, with majorities saying they have recently seen content related to weight loss, diet, or nutrition and mental health.

While four in ten social media users say they regularly get information about news and politics from social media influencers, far fewer (15%) say they turn to influencers for health information and advice. Younger adults, Black adults, and more frequent social media users are more likely than their peers to say they rely on influencers for health information. For more information on the relative impact of influencers on the public and health policy debates, see KFF CEO Drew Altman’s column.