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In a healthcare environment suffering from what often seems like too much information, doctors have become just one item on a menu of patient choices—and not always the most significant one.
That’s the conclusion of the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Analysis: Health Decisions in the Age of Information Overload, a collaboration between Edelman and the Yale School of Public Health that examines how people navigate competing advice from doctors, friends, creators, AI and other sources — and what that means for health communicators trying to reach them.
It surveyed about 13,000 people in 13 counties to find out which sources healthcare consumers trust, as well as what it takes to win that trust.
The balance of trust between HCPs and uncredentialed sources (including artificial intelligence, creators without medical training, friends/family and people with similar conditions) seems to vary with the stage of the medical journey. In terms of diagnosing a problem, HCPs still have the upper hand, with 50 percent saying an HCP would be likely to influence their personal health decisions, while uncredentialed sources would only influence 27 percent.
However, when it comes to such issues as diet & nutrition or wellness & longevity, the uncredentialed sources gain the advantage, with a lead of eight percent and nine percent respectively.
When there is a conflict between an HCP’s advice and that from other sources, HCPs score surprisingly low. Globally, only about half (51 percent) agree that “when I have gotten conflicting health recommendations from doctors and other sources, I always did what the doctor recommended.”
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In many countries, including the U.S, the power of HCPs on personal health decisions is even less. Only 37 percent in the U.S. said they always take their doctor’s advice when there is conflict, and the situation is not much better in Australia (40 percent) or Canada (45 percent).
Then there’s the power of AI. Nearly half of respondents (49 percent) globally believe someone without medical training who is fluent with AI can perform at least one health-related task as well as or better than a doctor, rising to 59 percent among 18–34-year-olds.
So what can communicators to adapt to the shifting definitions of trust as regards healthcare? For one thing, they need to understand that credibility and authority alone are no longer enough to guarantee influence. The findings point to a trust-building model rooted in listening first, demonstrating relevance, using accessible language, building a credible presence in communities and approaching any disagreements about information or treatment options with humility and openness rather than persuasion alone.
The Edelman/Yale study was conducted between February 28 and March 16.
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