Social Feeds Outpace Medical Advice as Primary Source for GLP-1 Drug Information
Authors
Monitoring the influence of social media on society and well-being.
May 2026
Chance exposure online surpasses official medical guidance when it comes to information on these Type 2 diabetes and weight management medications.
A new nationally representative survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago reveals growing awareness of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications, with many adults learning about the drugs by chance via social media, news, and family and friends. As use of GLP-1s, which are often used to treat Type 2 diabetes and for weight loss, becomes more common among American adults, understanding where and how people learn about the medications can help shape effective communication, medical guidance, and healthy outcomes.
Most people have heard of GLP-1s, but risk perceptions vary.
Awareness of GLP-1 drugs has increased over the past few years. As of February 2026, 82 percent of U.S. adults had heard of GLP-1 drugs, up from 70 percent in a previous NORC survey conducted in May 2024. The new survey shows that White adults and those with higher income or more formal education are more likely to have heard of GLP-1s than Black or Hispanic adults, or those with lower income or education. About 89 percent of White respondents have heard of GLP-1s, compared to 69 percent of Black respondents and 74 percent of Hispanic respondents.
As more people have learned about the drugs, risk perceptions have shifted—and they vary widely. As of February 2026, about two-thirds of respondents think GLP-1 drugs are somewhat or a little risky, whereas only 6 percent think they are not at all risky. About 8 percent of adults considered GLP-1s extremely risky in February 2026 compared to 15 percent in May 2024. Notably, 21 percent of adults in February 2026 were not sure whether GLP-1s are risky or not. While this number decreased from 29 percent in 2024, the persistently high level of uncertainty highlights an important information gap.
About 1 in 10 U.S. adults are currently taking GLP-1s.
Overall, about 14 percent of adults reported having ever taken GLP-1s, including 9 percent currently and 5 percent who have taken them in the past.
Among those who have taken GLP-1s, the most common reasons for doing so are to lose weight (70 percent), manage Type 2 diabetes (41 percent), or improve other health conditions such as blood pressure or cholesterol (24 percent). Eight percent report using GLP-1s to manage an addiction such as alcohol or opioids.
Doctors are most trusted among when seeking information about GLP-1s.
When asked in February 2026 where they would go if they wanted to learn more about GLP-1s, 85 percent of adults say they would talk to a doctor or another medical professional, 37 percent would visit a medical website, and 18 percent would read drug manufacturers’ patient education materials. Twenty-one percent of adults say they would speak to friends and family, and 8 percent would turn to an AI tool such as ChatGPT to learn more about GLP-1s.
Adults are more likely to have learned about GLP-1s by chance than actively seek out information.
However, when those who had heard of GLP-1s were asked where they had actually learned about the drugs, the information landscape looks different. Twenty-two percent of these adults had actively sought out GLP-1 information from a doctor or other professional. In contrast, almost one-third (32 percent) had learned about GLP-1s through social media by chance, versus 5 percent who actively looked up GLP-1 information on social media. Content on social media is often unverified, leaving people to sort through the information they come across on their feeds to determine what is real and what may be misleading or incorrect.
This trend is mirrored for exposure to GLP-1 information via online, television, or print news outlets. Four in 10 adults (39 percent) learned about GLP-1s by chance through news outlets, compared to only 6 percent of respondents who actively sought out information from the news.
Among those who had heard of the drugs, 13 percent had learned about them from an AI tool, including 8 percent who had looked up GLP-1 information using AI and 6 percent who had learned by chance (respondents could choose more than one answer). These findings are consistent with recent NORC data showing that people are increasingly using AI for health information but still trust information from AI less than that from medical, personal, and social media sources.
“These findings highlight a critical and growing public health challenge: more Americans are learning about GLP-1 medications by chance on unregulated social media feeds than seeking information from medical professionals,” said Sherry Emery, a senior fellow in NORC’s Public Health department. “When promotional content outpaces evidence-based guidance, people are left to navigate complex medical decisions without the balanced information they deserve. This raises concerns about how online environments shape conversations with providers and influence treatment seeking behaviors.”
Further research can inform guidance to improve communication and ensure appropriate usage of GLP-1 drugs.
Future studies may help understand the impact of passive exposure to GLP-1 information on perceptions of GLP-1 use, safety, and applications. Additionally, future research should further explore potential disparities in information seeking, access, and use of GLP-1s among different sociodemographic populations.
NORC’s research underscores the need for evidence-based communication strategies that promote safe and informed use of GLP-1 therapies. These findings can help identify strategies to keep consumers informed to think critically about GLP-1 information they see online, and support guidance for practitioners preparing for discussions about GLP-1s with patients.
Methodology
A poll of 1,073 American adults was conducted between February 19-23, 2026, using the AmeriSpeak® Omnibus, a bi-monthly multi-client survey using the AmeriSpeak panel, NORC’s probability-based panel that is designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. The margin of error is +/- 4.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, including the design effect. View the study questions and tabulations of top-level results for each question in the topline for this NORC Spotlight on Health.
About the NORC Spotlight on Health
NORC at the University of Chicago’s Spotlight on Health is a series of quick-hitting national surveys on issues vital to health and well-being, conducted using AmeriSpeak’s probability-based panels.
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