WASHINGTON, D.C. — As digital health tools and artificial intelligence make medical information easily accessible to anyone, Americans’ first stop for medical advice remains decidedly traditional — their doctor. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults, 73%, say they turn to doctors or other medical professionals at a practice they regularly visit for medical information or advice, far exceeding reliance on any of the other 10 sources measured.
A smaller majority of Americans, 53%, report using medical websites associated with established medical authorities such as well-known hospitals or government health agencies. One-third of U.S. adults (33%) say they seek medical information from friends or family members who are medical professionals, while 30% rely on medical professionals at walk-in clinics or emergency rooms.
Smaller shares of the public consult informal and less authoritative sources. One in five Americans say they seek out friends and family who are not medical professionals (20%) or medical websites not affiliated with major hospitals or government agencies (20%).
Other sources play a more limited role. Seventeen percent of U.S. adults say they consult books, and 16% each use AI or social media. Even fewer turn to health reports on TV news programs (12%) or podcasts (10%). Five percent of Americans say they do not use any of the listed sources.
These findings are from a Gallup web survey conducted Nov. 20-26, 2025, using the probability-based Gallup Panel.
Four Distinct Ways Americans Navigate Medical Information
While the overall results show that Americans prioritize doctors and authoritative websites over other sources of medical information, a statistical analysis reveals some key patterns in how Americans use the various sources. Most broadly, four in 10 adults, 41%, turn exclusively or mainly to one of the four sources involving medical authorities, while 54% turn to both medical authorities and other sources.
Both the “medical authority only” group and the “medical authority and other sources” group separate into clear subtypes, resulting in four distinct groups.
- Those who turn to medical authorities only can be divided into those who report using their own doctor (30%) and those who don’t use a personal doctor but turn to other medical experts, including authoritative websites, walk-in clinics or emergency rooms, and friends or family members who are medical professionals (11%).
- Those who use diverse sources can be divided into those who, in addition to using medical experts, turn heavily to health-related media content (29%) versus those who use medical experts plus more informal secondary content, such as nonmedical friends and family, non-authoritative medical websites, and AI (25%).
More details about the four groups are as follows:
1. Primary Care Doctor Reliant (30%)
Americans in this group indicate they have an ongoing relationship with a personal doctor or medical practice while making limited use of other sources of medical advice. When they do look beyond their own doctor’s practice, it is only to other established medical channels: authoritative medical websites, walk-in clinics or emergency rooms, or people they know with medical credentials. The main demographic characteristic distinguishing this group is that it skews older than the other three.
Doctor Reliant consumers are also the most likely of the four medical information groups to self-report having a serious medical condition, providing a clear reason for having a dedicated physician or practice.
2. Low Engagement Medical Reliant (11%)
This group relies almost exclusively on medical professionals and authoritative sources for health information but does not report going to their own doctor or medical practice. Instead, they turn mainly to walk-in clinics, emergency rooms, or established medical websites or medical professionals they know. And, given the relatively low rates of doing so, they likely only turn to such authorities when specific medical needs arise.
This group skews younger and more male than the other groups, has the lowest income, and is the least likely to include college graduates. It is also the least likely of the four groups to report having serious health problems, indicating that not only have they not sought out a personal physician to help them, but that they are less interested in medical information generally, only tapping medical authorities when necessary.
3. Health Media Oriented (29%)
Health Media Oriented consumers actively seek medical information from a wide range of sources. While still heavily reliant on doctors and authoritative medical websites, they are heavier users than other groups of content typically curated by self-styled experts: books, podcasts, health coverage in the news, and social media content. This group skews the most female of any group and is also a bit more likely than the two medical-reliant groups to be college educated.
4. Health Self-Navigator (25%)
This group is highly engaged with authoritative medical information but is also drawn to less authoritative resources. Alongside doctors and authoritative websites, they frequently consult friends and family who are not medical professionals, non-authoritative medical websites, and AI chatbots — all resources that may allow for personalized information. They show little interest in health-related media sources where experts may be more prescriptive. This group skews younger and is also more likely than those focused on medical authorities to be college educated.
The remaining 5% of Americans are those who report using none of the 12 information sources.
Bottom Line
Doctors remain the cornerstone of medical information for most Americans, followed by hospital-affiliated medical websites and other medical authorities. However, where Americans turn from there is far from random. Rather, people either gravitate toward health-media content where people positioned as experts may provide confident answers to medical questions or turn to more informal or accessible channels that could allow for greater personalization of advice.
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. Knowing which type of person they are interacting with could help doctors better understand their patients and effectively communicate with them.
Stay up to date with the latest insights by following @Gallup on X and on Instagram.
Learn more about how the Gallup Panel works.
