America’s Top 5 Sources for Health Information

February 27, 2026

Amid a growing field of health information and advice, Americans still overwhelmingly look to their personal doctor for guidance.

Results from a new Gallup Panel analysis highlight common patterns among people seeking health advice. The result indicates Americans turn to their personal doctor or practice ahead of other sources.

 “Doctors remain the cornerstone of medical information for most Americans, followed by hospital-affiliated medical websites and other medical authorities,” Gallup noted.

The respondents listed these as their go-to sources for medical information:

• Personal doctors or medical professionals (73%)
• Medical websites with established authorities, such as hospitals and government health agencies (53%)
• Friends or family who are medical professionals (33%)
• Medical professionals at walk-in clinics or emergency rooms (30%)
• Friends and family who aren’t medical professionals/websites not associated with well-known hospitals or government health agencies (20%)

The report identifies four common patterns among those seeking health advice: those who are primary care doctor reliant; those who rely on medical professionals that are not their own doctor (walk-in clinics, emergency rooms, established medical websites); those who cultivate a wide range of health media sources; and so-called "self-navigators" who rely on non-authoritative medical websites and AI chat bots.

“The different combinations of resources people use to get medical information also suggest that trust in medical institutions, comfort with technology, and interest in doing self-directed research may play important roles in how much people engage with medical information and where they turn for timely advice,” the Gallup team concluded.

Learn more about the results online.