SouthernWorldwide.com – A recent Fox News poll indicates that while voters broadly support the health-focused agenda championed by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, they hold a negative view of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s job performance.
The survey, released Monday, reveals a significant preference among voters for prioritizing public health over lowering food prices. By a 16-point margin, 58% of voters choose safeguarding public health, compared to 42% who favor reducing food costs.
This prioritization of health is not confined to a single political group. Majorities across the political spectrum, including 57% of Democrats, 58% of Republicans, and 62% of independents, agree that health and well-being should come first.
The MAHA movement, initially popularized by Kennedy during his 2024 presidential campaign, has evolved into a broader national health-policy initiative. Following the conclusion of his presidential bid and his endorsement of President Trump, the movement has focused on key areas such as improving nutrition, eliminating harmful food additives, and enhancing the health of children.
Voter sentiment strongly emphasizes the importance of government action on food-related issues. Approximately 9 in 10 voters believe it is extremely or very important for the government to focus on improving food safety (89%), lowering food costs (88%), and expanding access to healthy foods (85%).
Further highlighting public concern, about 8 in 10 voters consider limiting harmful additives in food (83%) and increasing transparency in food labeling (81%) to be important government priorities. Around 6 in 10 voters also place similar importance on reducing vaping and nicotine use (63%) and limiting screen time for children under the age of 16 (60%).
Support for new food regulations is widespread. More than 9 in 10 voters favor the implementation of clearer food labeling requirements (91%). Nearly as many voters (87%) support banning food additives that have been restricted by other countries due to health concerns.
When it comes to other policy areas, smaller majorities express support. Sixty-five percent of voters favor banning flavored nicotine products, including vapes and nicotine pouches. Similarly, 60% of voters support prohibiting children under 16 from using social media platforms.
The elimination of vaccine requirements, however, garners less popular support. Fewer than 4 in 10 voters are in favor of this proposal (36%). Despite this, the support for eliminating vaccine requirements has seen an increase of 10 percentage points since December.
Most of the proposed policies enjoy broad support across various demographic groups. However, notable differences emerge when examining opinions on vaccine requirements.
A significant partisan divide exists regarding vaccine requirements, with 45% of Republicans favoring their elimination compared to only 25% of Democrats, a 20-point gap. This is the sole proposal where less than half of each party’s members express support. Among Republicans, 53% of MAGA supporters favor eliminating vaccine requirements, compared to 32% of non-MAGA Republicans, a 21-point difference.
Demographic factors also play a role. Men, Black voters, and voters under the age of 30 are more inclined to favor the elimination of vaccine requirements than women, White voters, and voters aged 65 and older.
Despite the general alignment with many MAHA priorities, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s job approval rating remains unfavorable. Forty-five percent of voters approve of his performance, while 54% disapprove. These figures have shown little change since September of the previous year.
A strong majority of MAGA Republicans (88%) approve of Kennedy, while 6 in 10 non-MAGA Republicans (58%) also express approval.
Kennedy’s job ratings are further boosted by fathers (54% approve) and voters under 30 (51%). These groups show more than half approving of his job performance, a higher rate compared to mothers (43% approve), non-parents (44%), and voters aged 65 and over (39%).
A closer look at parents
Mothers and fathers exhibit differing priorities regarding food policy. Moms slightly favor keeping food costs low by 2 points, while dads lean towards protecting public health by a margin of 16 points.
While parents and non-parents generally agree on many MAHA-related issues, dads express a stronger inclination than moms regarding certain child-related policies. More dads believe it is important for the government to reduce screen time for children under 16 (68% compared to 47% of moms). Dads also show greater support for banning children from social media platforms (67% compared to 59% of moms).
Furthermore, dads are more likely than moms to favor eliminating vaccine requirements (52% versus 33%). Parents, in general, are more supportive of eliminating vaccine requirements than non-parents (42% versus 34%).
The generational divide
Voters under the age of 30 prioritize public health over lower food costs by 8 points. However, this preference for public health widens significantly to 44 points among voters aged 65 and over.
On the issue of screen time, voters under 30 support banning children under 16 from social media by a narrow margin of just 2 points. This margin expands considerably to 24 points among voters aged 65 and over.
When it comes to vaccine policies, young voters oppose eliminating vaccine requirements by 10 points. In stark contrast, opposition among voters aged 65 and up is substantial, reaching 57 points.
