Two-thirds of Americans support banning the use of the herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in the famous weedkiller Roundup, in crops grown in the United States, according to a nationally representative survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania. The spring survey also found that a majority of Americans have read, seen or heard little about glyphosate in the months prior to the survey, and many have uncertainty about its health effects.
Support for banning glyphosate extends across political and ideological groups. Seventy-two per cent of people who identify as followers of the MAHA movement, or Make America Healthy Again, favour the glyphosate ban, as do 70 per cent of those who do not support MAHA. Among the major parties, 70 per cent of Republicans and 69 per cent of Democrats favour a ban. A smaller percentage of independents lean towards the prohibition.
"Americans express strong support for a glyphosate ban despite the majority acknowledging they have heard relatively little about the herbicide in recent months," said Ken Winneg, executive director of survey research at the APPC. The findings come from Wave 29 of the Annenberg Science and Public Health (ASAPH) survey, conducted from 14 to 28 April 2026 among 1,639 American adults from a national panel.
The Roundup weedkiller, 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 glyphosate use in American crops. In February 2026, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order invoking his powers under the Defence Production Act "to protect domestic production of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides—two critical inputs essential to military preparedness and agricultural strength of the United States, respectively".
The action sparked protests among MAHA activists, whose support played a role in his re-election. Evidence on the effects of glyphosate exposure is inconsistent, according to a review 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. However, in a 2017 review, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that glyphosate is "not likely to be carcinogenic to humans" when used in accordance with label instructions.
