New Patient Study: Health Care-Related Behaviors Changing

May 16, 2025

More people, especially young people, are getting their health care information from sources other than doctors and are regretting the decisions they’ve made as a result, according to a new study.

The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer study showed there was a hike in the belief that the average person can know as much as a doctor, especially among young people. Younger respondents were twice as likely to say that an average person can know as much as a doctor compared to older participants. Overall, the share of respondents across all age groups who hold that belief went up to 35 percent, a five-point jump from 2024.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• Information Gathering:  Young people overall are engaging increasingly with health information from a variety of sources, including traditional health media, information from social platforms, and independent media such as podcasts and newsletters.
• Open Book:  The study also determined that young people are the most open with their health news, experiences, and opinions. At least monthly, they share health-related news, their personal health journey, or opinions with others.
• Uncredentialed Advice:  Of the age groups represented in the study, young people were the most likely to make health decisions based on uncredentialed advice. The respondents indicated that people without formal degrees largely influenced their lives and, as a result, were twice as likely to follow such advice than older people.
• An Ounce of Prevention:  The report showed that most young people in the study have made health decisions they regret due to following misinformation. It lists the top five sources of misinformation among people ages 18–34 as user-created content platforms, independent content creators, friends or family, traditional media, or someone on social media.

Read the report online.