Among veterans, trust in information from the VA remains strong
Washington DC, October 2, 2025 – A new Ipsos poll reveals shifting public trust in government agencies between 2023 and 2025, highlighting both challenges and areas of resilience for these agencies.
The U.S. Department of Transportation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs emerge as the most trusted agencies, with roughly half of Americans saying they have trust in information, news, or guidance from these agencies, respectively. Notably, the VA maintained its level of trust compared to 2023 amid a general decline in trust among other agencies. Furthermore veterans, regardless of whether they’re enrolled in VA healthcare, show strong trust in information from the VA, with 77% of veterans enrolled in VA healthcare and 67% not enrolled in VA healthcare trusting such information, compared to 48% among the general population.
The survey also reveals that VA stands out among government agencies, with high regard for being guided by facts and science. This distinguishes it from others and earns the trust of a significant portion of Americans. Notably, 66% of veterans and 75% of veterans enrolled in VA healthcare affirm its science-based approach. These results underscore sustained confidence in the VA's mission, advocating for continued support and increased public awareness of its valuable contributions.
Detailed findings
1. From 2023 to 2025, several government agencies saw a slight declines in trust, with around half of Americans now trusting information, news, or guidance from various government agencies.
- Trust in information from the VA remains stable at 48% between 2023 and 2025 amongst Americans, being the only agency included in this poll that did not see a decline in trust. Trust is highest among veterans, especially those who receive healthcare through the VA.
- The DOT (52%), CDC (49%), and VA (48%) rank the highest in trust amongst Americans.
2. Amidst a general decline in trust towards some government agencies, the VA remains trusted among veterans.
- Veterans and respondents enrolled in VA healthcare tend to trust information from government agencies more than the general population.
- Most respondents enrolled in VA Healthcare trust information from the VA a fair amount or a great deal (77%), greater than veterans not enrolled (67%) and the general population (48%).
3. Between 2023 and 2025, trust in government agencies' commitment to public service shifted, but the VA still holds high regard among veterans.
- Amongst those enrolled in VA Healthcare, a large majority (75%) say the VA works in the best interest of the public. Among veterans as a whole, the VA ranks the highest out of all government agencies polled on, at 66%.
- Three in four (73%) Americans say that the VA provides an important service, maintaining levels from 2023.
- The VA's critical service role yields strong veteran endorsement as 40% respond 'very well,' including 49% among veterans enrolled in VA healthcare.
4. Despite broader declines in trust toward government, most Americans view the VA to be guided by science.
- The VA saw the smallest decline in belief that it is guided by science, at 58% compared to 60% in 2023. This makes the VA roughly on par with the CDC, which saw a much steeper decline.
- A larger majority of veterans (66%) say the VA is guided by science. That belief is higher among veterans who are enrolled in VA healthcare (75%).
About the Study
This poll was conducted from March 10-12, 2023 and July 25-27, 2025 using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,026 (2023) and 1,023 (2025) adults age 18 or older.
The study was conducted in English. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, education, household income, political party identification, and 2024 presidential vote. Party ID benchmarks are from the 2024 NPORS annual survey. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2024 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
- Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
- Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or higher)
- Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
- Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
- Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
- Political Party ID (Democrat, Lean Democrat, Republican, Lean Republican, Independent/Something else)
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.18 (2023) and 1.13 (2025). The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Suzy Shirley
Vice President, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
About Ipsos
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