Published March 16, 2026
During COVID-19, physicians who questioned official mandates on lockdowns, school closures, and vaccines faced censorship and professional retaliation — silencing scientific debate at the moment it mattered most. As a result, trust in doctors and hospitals fell from 72% in 2019 to 40% by 2024.
The connection is direct: when government mandates displace physician judgment and informed consent, public trust erodes. Rebuilding it requires restoring the primacy of doctor-patient decision-making and the freedom to follow evidence over directives.
Learn more from Scott Atlas:
Visit Scott Atlas's profile here.
__________
The opinions expressed in this video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University.
© 2026 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.
Videos
Could Medicare face insolvency as soon as 2033? Hoover’s Tom Church examines the looming funding crisis, the challenges of entitlement reform, and the risks of Medicare for All.
October 9, 2026
Videos
Hoover Institution fellow Dr. Scott Atlas discusses his Wall Street Journal article he co-authored with Hoover Institution fellow Steven Koonin, "Covid, Climate and the ‘Consensus Trap’".
October 8, 2026
Videos
Hoover Institution fellow Brian Miller interviews House Budget Committee vice chair Lloyd Smucker about America being $40 trillion in debt and why voters have to be part of the solution.
October 5, 2026
