71% of Voters Support Updated Dietary Guidelines But Few Know of Changes
More than 2-in-3 Americans support the new federal dietary guidelines when they are explained. Low attention to the story shows the need to actively communicate the changes.
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Why It Matters
This poll reveals two critical disconnects: Americans overwhelmingly support the recommendations of the new Dietary Guidelines, but news of the changes is not being closely followed and trust in the government to provide the advice is low.
How to use this data
Like the new Food Pyramid, flip the typical government messaging approach. Instead of leading with “the federal government recommends…”, lead with the substance, “more whole foods, more protein, less processed food and sugar.”
For school messaging, emphasize what makes sense for kids’ nutrition rather than compliance with federal mandates—supporters chose “common-sense nutrition” over “federal authority” by 2-to-1.
Click on the image below to view the full data or read the summary below.
Awareness of new guidelines is low
52% of voters are closely following news of the new guidelines – 17% very closely. For comparison, 80% are following other news stories such as the ICE protests in Minneapolis and President Trump’s remarks on Greenland.
College-educated voters (59%) are 16 points more likely to follow the story than those without a degree (43%)
Hispanic/Latino voters are more highly engaged, at 56% (Very Closely 23% + Somewhat Closely (33%).
The partisan gap is small, with Democrats (55%) and Republicans (54%) being nearly equally attentive.
71% support these guidelines—but only when you explain them
68% support the new federal nutrition guidelines when given information about what they recommend and how they are used. Just 8% oppose.
Support is bipartisan: X of Republicans, X of Democrats, and X of independents support the guidelines.
Support increases from 67.5% to 71.0% (+3.5 points) when voters are given more context about the specific changes. “Strongly support” jumps from 28.5% to 35.6% (+7.1 points).
Trust in government nutrition guidance
39% trust the government (9% completely + 30% mostly) as a source of reliable nutrition advice. 24% distrust. 36% are neutral.
Republicans have 58% trust in government guidelines (Completely Trust 16% + Mostly Trust 42%), compared with Democrats who have only 28% Trust (Completely Trust 6% + Mostly Trust 23%).
Trust is lukewarm—only 8.5% “completely trust” government nutrition advice. The largest group (36.4%) is neutral, suggesting an opportunity to build credibility.
Expected personal impact
49% expect SOME personal impact (32% small + 17% large)
Black Americans (28%) and Hispanics (25%) are say they believe the new guidelines will have a “Large Impact” on their eating habits than White Americans (16%).
60% of Gen Z (18-29) say it will have an Impact on their eating habits (43% A Small Impact +17% A large Impact), which is higher than other age groups..
Parents support schools adopting the guidelines
41% support because “the nutrition recommendations make sense”
19% support because they view federal guidelines as “evidence-based”
Supporters cite common-sense nutrition (41%) over federal authority (19%) by more than 2-to-1. When talking about schools, emphasize “more whole foods, more protein, less junk”—not “federal guidelines say so.”
The Bottom Line
Advocates must invest time and resources into making voters aware of the new guidelines with messaging that emphasizes the value of whole foods, protein, and minimally processed items rather than government authority. Focus on explaining the changes clearly, emphasizing the core substance, and letting the content speak for itself.