You may have heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but do you believe it? New polling finds that Americans have a range of beliefs when it comes to which health remedies are effective, some of which they feel have been validated by personal experiences. A recently published YouGov survey asked Americans whether 50 health beliefs — some might call some of them folk remedies; others, old wives' tales — are true or not, from the necessity of drinking eight glasses of water a day to the suggestion that chicken soup cures colds. Each respondent was asked about a random sample of 25 of the 50 overall beliefs.
To compile the list of 50 beliefs, our U.S. News team — with the assistance of AI tools — brainstormed claims about health that we have frequently encountered in the United States. We present these beliefs as part of the survey findings without making any claims about their accuracy.
Beliefs among Americans and by age, education, and race
Of the 50 claims asked about, majorities of Americans say they believe that 11 of them are definitely or probably true; majorities say 23 are untrue. For 21 out of the 50 claims, more say they are likely true than untrue, some by very small margins. Americans believe an average of a little more than one-third of the claims.
The five health beliefs included in the survey that are most likely to be believed are that you need to drink eight glasses of water a day (76% say this is true), that eating late at night leads to weight gain (75%), that sugar makes children hyperactive (75%), that Vitamin C prevents colds (68%), and that sitting too close to the TV damages your vision (63%).
The largest shares disagree that swallowed seeds grow in your stomach (89% say this is definitely or probably not true), masturbation causes blindness (88%), crossing your eyes makes them stay that way (83%), sleeping with a fan on causes sickness (75%), and drinking coffee stunts your growth (74%).
The health beliefs asked about that are most divisive — meaning they come the closest to evenly splitting opinion on their veracity — are that carrots improve night vision (43% say this is true true and 39% say this is not true), that you should feed a cold and starve a fever (36% vs. 36%), that urine helps with jellyfish stings (37% vs. 36%), and that oysters and chocolate are aphrodisiacs (34% vs. 34%).
Belief in health remedies varies by age, education, and race.
Younger adults generally are more likely than older Americans to believe health claims included in the survey, including that cold weather causes colds, that drinking coffee stunts your growth, and that spicy foods cause ulcers.
A few health beliefs are more likely to be held by older Americans than by younger ones. Two of these are that daily consumption of red wine is good for your heart and that you should feed a cold and starve a fever.
People who did not graduate from college are somewhat more likely to consider the health claims included in the survey to be true. They are more likely than college graduates to believe that shaving makes your hair grow back thicker, that cold weather causes colds, and that wearing a hat causes baldness.
There is one claim that college graduates are much more inclined to believe than are people who didn't graduate from college: that women living together synchronize their menstrual cycles.
Compared to white Americans, Black are more likely to say it is true that sleeping with wet hair causes sickness, that drinking warm water improves digestion, and that microwave ovens cause radiation exposure.
White Americans are more likely than Black Americans to believe that eating carrots turns your skin orange, and that women living together synchronize their menstrual cycles.
How personal experiences affect health beliefs
After indicating whether they think each health-related claim is true or not true, respondents were asked which of their beliefs in the claims are based at least in part on personal experiences they've had. The aggregated responses to these questions are displayed below.
Roughly half of Americans believe based on personal experience in each of the following: that it's essential to drink eight glasses of water daily, that eating late at night leads to weight gain, and that sugar makes children hyperactive. Other beliefs that fewer Americans hold — but that believers are likely to hold based on personal experience — include that drinking milk causes mucus production and that chicken soup cures colds.
Among health claims that majorities of Americans believe are not true, many say personal experience informs doubts that swallowed seeds grow in your stomach, that masturbation can cause blindness, and that crossing your eyes will make them stay that way.
Majorities of people with a belief either way about whether shaving leads to thicker hair growth say that their belief is based at least in part on personal experiences. The same is true for claims that sleeping with a fan causes sickness, that eating before swimming causes cramps, and that stress causes gray hair.
Sources of health information
The survey also asked Americans the extent to which they trust 12 sources for information on health. Majorities of Americans say they have at least some trust in doctors and other medical providers (88%), nutritionists and dietitians (80%), and scientific research institutions (74%). Trust levels in government health agencies (53%) and in pharmaceutical companies (41%) are notably lower.
Majorities of people also say that when it comes to information on health, they trust their common sense (84%) and their friends and family (73%). Fewer than half say they place some trust in religious organizations (32%), folklore (23%), or social media influencers (13%).
Related:
- What Americans think of RFK Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda
- What do Americans want in a primary care provider? An honest practitioner who takes their insurance
- American women describe their experiences with menstrual periods
- Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to trust the CDC
— Carl Bialik contributed to this article
See the results for this YouGov poll
Methodology: The poll was conducted online among 2,187 U.S. adult citizens on two separate surveys from June 17 - 20, 2024 and June 26 - 29, 2024. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to March 15, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 28% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 3%.
Image: Getty
