16 July 2026
New global study reveals strong public support for action on antimicrobial resistance
The Trinity Challenge and Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab published a study today on public understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in six middle-income countries including Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Indonesia and India.
The polling took place in 2024, before the UN General Assembly’s adoption of a political declaration on AMR. It polls the reactions of over 2000 participants to 45 AMR-related policy proposals that were likely to appear in the declaration.
Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat that undermines the effectiveness of life-saving medicines and is estimated to cause up to 39 million deaths worldwide, US$1 trillion in annual global livestock GDP losses, and US$1 trillion additional healthcare costs by 2050.
Using Deliberative Polling for the first time on the topic of antibiotic resistance, the study provides a unique insight into what informed public opinion looks like. The findings demonstrate that deliberative approaches can play a critical role in building public understanding and support for complex health policies.
In total, 2419 participants engaged across six MICs (middle income countries), which were chosen due to their high rates of antibiotic resistance. The findings revealed widespread support for most proposed measures, increasing the likelihood of these policies being successfully adopted.
Participants were asked to evaluate a range of policy areas likely to appear in the UNGA political declaration. Proposals covered how antibiotics should be accessed by humans and in farming and agriculture; the trade-offs involved in antibiotic use in food production systems; and the best measures to prevent infections, including vaccination and improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene.
The results showed strong support across all six countries for infection prevention measures, with proposals on awareness and education proposals ranking second. We found regional variation in support for proposals relating to informal antibiotic access and the use of antibiotics in food production. A few key highlights include:
– Prioritisation of infection prevention through combined clean water and safe sanitation (WASH) and vaccination had an average support rating of 96.4% across the six countries after deliberation.
– The Latin American countries were less supportive of proposals relating to the ban of antibiotics that are critically important for humans from food production compared to the African and Asian countries in the study.
– Collective support for 43 out of 45 proposals increased with deliberation, many with very high levels of support.
– All participants from the six countries gained knowledge about antibiotic resistance through deliberation.
Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chair, the Trinity Challenge and UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, said: “This study has begun to fill an important knowledge gap on antimicrobial resistance. As clinicians and scientists, most of us understand the urgency this growing threat poses. As communicators, we are also building a good understanding of the messaging needed to raise awareness. What has been less clear, however, are the elements of addressing AMR that the public understand and where their specific priorities would lie when it comes to the impact on policy and day-to-day life.”
Professor Marc Mendelson, Professor of Infectious Diseases at University of Cape Town and Former Director of the Trinity Challenge, said: “This study has shown that when equipped with accurate information, the public shows keen support for the type of interventions that could mitigate antibiotic resistance. We are excited to share these results and hope they will be a useful addition to conversations around AMR awareness, policy planning and public engagement.”
Professor James Fishkin, Director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University, said: “This unique study has allowed us to understand what information shifts public opinion on a complex issue like antimicrobial resistance. This process involved not only educating the public about AMR, but also citizens to play an active role in shaping solutions to this growing threat. This can also allow policymakers to understand how people respond to AMR once they have had the opportunity to reflect on an in-depth and informed basis, rather than a basic snapshot of public opinion.”
The full results can be found at www.thetrinitychallenge.org/deliberative-polling-on-amr/
This research has been made possible through funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Wellcome.
The Trinity Challenge’s secretariat is funded by the Institute of Philanthropy empowered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
About The Trinity Challenge
The Trinity Challenge (TTC) is a charity supporting the creation of data-driven solutions to help protect against global health threats. We believe technology, analytics and data hold the key to building effective, affordable, and scalable solutions to current and future pandemics and health emergencies, and we are committed to working with governments, individuals and organisations across the world, to help improve our resilience against current and future threats to global health.
The inaugural 2021 Challenge on pandemic preparedness received applications from 340 teams across 60 countries and distributed a prize fund of £5.7 million across eight winning initiatives.
In 2024, the second Trinity Challenge awarded a total of £2.7 million across four winning teams for its competition on tackling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
In 2025, the third Trinity Challenge on community access to effective antibiotics awarded two teams a prize fund of £1 million.
To learn more about the Trinity Challenge, visit thetrinitychallenge.org.
About the Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab
The Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University (DDL) is devoted to research about democracy and public opinion obtained through Deliberative Polling® and related democratic processes. The method of Deliberative Polling® has been used over 150 times in 50+ countries and jurisdictions around the world, at varying levels of government and society.
To learn more about the DDL, visit deliberation.stanford.edu.
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