Political Ideology and Socio-Demographic Factors Associated with Trust in Doctors, Scientists, and Government for Cancer Information

An individual’s trust in health information can be influenced by their perception of cancer information. This study tests the association between political ideology, sociodemographic characteristics, and trust in doctors, scientists, and government for cancer information among U.S. adults. The data were taken from the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), a nationally representative survey administered by the National Cancer Institute. The data sample included 7,278 participants, all of whom were categorized in terms of trust. The categories were high trust (“a lot”) versus lower levels of trust (“some,” “a little,” or “not at all”). Weighted prevalence estimates and weighted logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between institutional trust and age, sex, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, household income, and political ideology. From every category, political ideology demonstrated consistent associations with trust across the three information sources. Very liberal participants had higher odds of high trust in scientists (aOR = 3.42; 95% CI: 2.20-5.33) and government (aOR = 3.45; 95% CI: 2.40-4.97). In contrast, very conservative participants had lower odds of high trust in scientists (aOR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.26-0.66) and government (aOR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.28-0.82). These findings show that political ideology and sociodemographic characteristics are associated with trust in major sources of cancer information. By understanding these associations, it may help inform communication strategies designed to effectively reach diverse populations.