Only 40% of Voters Think Dr. Fauci Told the Truth About Virus Research

As investigators pursue evidence that the COVID-19 virus may have originated in a Chinese research laboratory, many voters doubt that Dr. Anthony Fauci has told the truth about American funding of such research.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters believe Fauci has told the truth about U.S. government funding for so-called “gain-of-function” virus research. Forty-six percent (46%) of voters believe Fauci has not told the truth about U.S. funding of such research, and 15% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul last week said newly released emails show Fauci was aware that American taxpayer dollars were funding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, suspected as the source of the COVID-19 virus. Fauci has defined gain-of-function research as “taking a virus that could infect humans and making it either more transmissible and/or pathogenic for humans.”

Sixty-one percent (61%) of voters say they have been following recent news about gain-of-function research at least Somewhat Closely, including 39% who say they’ve followed such reports Very Closely. Among those who say they’ve followed recent news Very Closely, 59% don’t believe Dr. Anthony Fauci has told the truth about U.S. government funding for gain-of-function virus research.

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The survey of 1,000 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on June 6-7, 2021 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Voters are divided on the question of whether the U.S. government should be funding gain-of-function virus research, with 34% saying the government saying should be funding it, 31% saying the government should not be funding such research, and 35% not sure.

Republicans (44%) are more likely than Democrats (16%) or voters not affiliated with either major party (36%) to oppose U.S. government funding for gain-of-function virus research. A majority of Democrats (52%) say the government should be funding such research, but only 24% of Republican and unaffiliated voters agree.

More Republicans (46%) than Democrats (33%) or unaffiliated voters (37%) say they have Very Closely followed recent news reports about U.S. government funding for gain of function virus research.

The partisan divide is sharpest on the question of whether Fauci has lied about U.S. funding for gain of function research. Majorities of both Republicans (66%) and unaffiliated voters (51%) don’t believe Fauci has told the truth about funding for such research, but only 23% of Democrats share that belief. Sixty-three percent (63%) of Democrats believe Fauci has told the truth about U.S. government funding for gain of function virus research, but only 22% of Republicans and 29% of unaffiliated voters believe Fauci told the truth.

A majority (51%) of black voters say they believe Fauci has told the truth about U.S. government funding for gain of function virus research, but only 37% of whites and 39% of other minorities agree.

Nearly half (47%) of voters 65 and older say they have Very Closely followed recent news reports about U.S. government funding for gain of function virus research, whereas fewer than one-third (28%) of voters under 40 say they’ve followed these news reports Very Closely.

Among voters who support U.S. government funding for gain-of-function virus research, 69% believe Fauci has told the truth about such funding. By contrast, among voters who oppose U.S. government funding for gain-of-function virus research, 84% don’t believe Fauci has told the truth.

President Joe Biden’s strongest supporters are most likely to believe Fauci has told the truth about U.S. government funding for gain of function virus research. Among voters who Strongly Approve of Biden’s job performance as president, 79% think Fauci has told the truth about funding for such research. By contrast, among voters who Strongly Disapprove of Biden’s performance, 84% think Fauci hasn’t told the truth.

How much do voters trust Dr. Anthony Fauci? Less than they did a year ago, and a majority believe that the government’s COVID-19 expert has been influenced by politics.

Most Americans approve the recent recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks, but Republicans are most pleased.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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