Bipartisan majorities in US favor banning glyphosate
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Two-thirds of Americans favor banning the use of the herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular weedkiller Roundup, on crops grown in the United States, according to a nationally representative survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.
Yet the spring survey also finds that most Americans have read, seen or heard little about glyphosate in the few months preceding the survey, and many are uncertain about its health effects.
Support for banning glyphosate cuts across political and ideological groups, the survey finds. Seventy-two percent of people who identify as supporters of the MAHA movement, or Make America Healthy Again, favor banning glyphosate, as do 70% of those who do not support MAHA.
Support for banning the herbicide is also strong among both major parties: 70% of self-identified Republicans and 69% of self-identified Democrats favor a ban. Fewer self-identified independents favor a ban.
“Americans express strong support for banning glyphosate even though most acknowledge hearing relatively little about the herbicide in recent months,” said Ken Winneg, APPC’s managing director of survey research.
The findings come from Wave 29 of the Annenberg Science and Public Health (ASAPH) survey, which was conducted April 14–28, 2026, among 1,639 empaneled U.S. adults. MAHA support was assessed by asking whether survey respondents consider themselves supporters of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
Those who report being MAHA supporters comprise 26% of survey respondents. Those who do not support MAHA make up 40% of survey respondents, while those who are not sure comprise 33% of respondents. See the end of this release or the topline for further details.
The controversy over glyphosate
The weedkiller Roundup, which contains glyphosate, has been used in the United States since the 1970s. MAHA activists and influencers have called for banning or permanently phasing out the use of glyphosate on crops in the United States.
Zen Honeycutt, the founder and executive director of Moms Across America, which supports MAHA, said at a People vs. Poison rally in April 2026, “For 14 years, I have dedicated my life to getting glyphosate banned and transforming our food supply.”
MAHA health activist Kelly Ryerson, who goes by the online moniker Glyphosate Girl, argued in comments to the EPA for “a permanent phase-out of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides, including on our agricultural land.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long said that glyphosate causes cancer but has not advocated for an outright ban. Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in 2023, before being nominated as Health and Human Services secretary, Kennedy referred to his experience as a lawyer involved in cases against Monsanto’s glyphosate products.
“When we sued Monsanto … there were many, many diseases that are linked to glyphosate exposure, including non-alcoholic fatty liver cancers that are very, very closely linked, a lot of kidney diseases, and severe damage to the microbiome.”
In February 2026, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order invoking his powers under the Defense Production Act “to protect domestic production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides—two critical inputs essential to military readiness and America’s agricultural strength, respectively.”
His action sparked an outcry among MAHA activists, whose support played a role in reelecting him. “MAHA unleashes on White House after Trump backs pesticide,” the website Politico noted.
Appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience later that month, Kennedy defended Trump’s executive order but again indicated that glyphosate was dangerous. “It’s not a good thing to have in your food so … it’s not something that I was particularly happy with.” But, he added, “I also understand the president’s point of view … If you banned glyphosate overnight … it would destroy the American food system.”
In a 7-2 ruling in June 2026, the Supreme Court overturned a Missouri jury award for a man who claimed that two decades of exposure to the herbicide glyphosate, found in Roundup, caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and that Monsanto, which manufactures and distributes Roundup, should have included a cancer warning on its label.
The evidence on the effects of glyphosate exposure is inconsistent, according to an overview by FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015, based primarily on “limited” evidence in humans and “sufficient” evidence in experimental animals. However, in a 2017 review, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that glyphosate is “not likely to be carcinogenic to humans” when used according to label directions.
Most have heard little about glyphosate in recent months
Despite the controversy over Trump’s February order, more than 8 in 10 Americans (83%) in APPC’s April survey say they have read, seen or heard either “nothing at all” (54%) or “a little” (29%) about glyphosate in recent months. Just 16% report hearing “a moderate amount” or more about it.
Even among MAHA supporters, recent awareness of glyphosate is low, with 76% saying they have heard either nothing at all (42%) or only a little (34%). Only a quarter (24%) say they have heard a moderate amount or more.
Half in U.S. say glyphosate poses cancer risk—and nearly as many are unsure
Half of U.S. adults (50%) believe exposure to glyphosate causes cancer, while nearly as many (46%) are not sure. Only 4% say it has no effect on cancer risk. A majority of both MAHA supporters (57%) and non-supporters of MAHA (52%) say they believe exposure to glyphosate causes cancer, more than those who are unsure about their MAHA support (42%).
Those unsure about supporting MAHA are also more unsure that glyphosate causes cancer (54%), compared with 39% among MAHA supporters and 43% among non-MAHA supporters.
Just over half of Republicans (51%) and Democrats (53%) alike believe that glyphosate causes cancer, while most other respondents in those parties say they are not sure (45% of Republicans and 43% of Democrats). Fewer self-described independents (42%) say it causes cancer, and more (55%) say they are not sure.
“Public concern about possible cancer risk as a result of glyphosate exposure and support for banning its use on crops in the U.S. cross the political divide,” noted Patrick E. Jamieson, director of APPC’s Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute, which oversees the survey.
Many people are unsure how glyphosate affects U.S. food supply
When asked which of three statements is most accurate about the use of glyphosate, only a third of Americans (33%) say it is most accurate that glyphosate increases the U.S. food supply by helping farmers control weeds.
Nearly half (48%) say they are unsure. Twelve percent say it is most accurate to state that glyphosate has no effect on food production, and 6% think it is most accurate to say the use of glyphosate decreases the food supply.
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Bipartisan majorities in US favor banning glyphosate (2026, August 21)
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