At a time when confidence is fractured and the authority is increasingly disputed, young people reshape the architecture of influence in health. Traditional institutions – once considered as unassailable sources of truth – are faced with large challenges. Young people in particular only count on doctors, the media or the government to guide their health decisions. Instead, they cultivate a decentralized ecosystem which is participative, local, emotionally resonant – and modifies the rules of engagement for everyone.
The fall in centralized influence of health
According to 2025 Edelman Trust’s special report: Confidence and healthConfidence in affairs, NGOs, government and the media – once considered central pillars – underscores without any reliable institution to meet your health needs and concerns. The majority of people believe that these entities deliberately induce health issues rather than being health information catalysts. The government and the media rank to the lowest confidence to meet the needs and concerns of health, but even business and NGOs have experienced significant declines since 2023. This erosion of institutional trust has intensified change towards more localized health votes.
The data also only show 1 person in 3 people in the world (35%) describe their health as very good or better, a drop of 3 points since 2022. This drop in the evaluation of personal health coincides with the growing fear around the politicization of medical sciences, which has jumped 7 points in the world since 2022, especially in Germany (+13 pts), at the South Kore (+12 pts), in Japan (+12 pts) In the US (+8 pts).
In addition, politics becomes a significant filter in trust: 36% of patients say they would drop or trust a supplier on political differences – a figure that has increased by 4 points in just one year, with the most significant increase in 18 to 34 year olds.
The rise of a new decentralized ecosystem
But it is not a blip – it is a transformation. The traditional health authorities do not disappear, they are completed. Influencers, peers, patients and social creators are now key players in the story of health. The new ecosystem is not subtractive, but additive. The voices that shape this ecosystem have lived this experience, build a community and gained confidence by an emotional resonance.
This change is reflected in the way in which the influence is distributed: doctors lead to influence on personal health decisions (86%), but peers (69%) and health experts (69%) are equal with each other. “My doctor” remains the most reliable voice to tell the truth about health (82%), but is closely followed by friends and family (72%). Young audiences are in particular the rebalancing of trust dynamics. They are twice more likely older respondents to believe that the average person who has done their own research knows as much as a doctor, and in the past year, they have ignored the advice of suppliers in favor of advice from friends or family (45%) or social media (38%).
This new configuration reflects the way young people prefer to receive – and share – health information: horizontally, not hierarchically.
Why this counts for business
For brands and companies operating in the health field – or affect it indirectly – the implications are deep. The risk is not simply neglected; It is perceived as disconnected.
In this universe of decentralized health, the influence of flows through personal networks. “My doctor” is always important and, in fact, remains the most reliable (82%) at all ages to tell the truth about health problems – but my friends and family “are close to (72%). To win and maintain relevance as well as influence on health decisions, communications require empathy, proximity, accessibility, relat -up, frequency and relevance. This is particularly critical when you are committed to young people. These are not passive recipients of brand messaging. They are conservatives of their own health experience.
Empathy and credibility communications do not only give better brand results – they can help generate better health results. When companies align with the new health ecosystem, they can become powerful facilitators of trust, access and action.
Evolve or be left behind
We sail on a generational transition in the way health is understood, reliable and shared. It is not a trend – it is a structural reorientation. Organizations must recalibrate their approach to reflect a world where confidence is local, expertise is diversified and emotional authenticity is a key currency.
To direct in this new era, health care organizations must meet all generations, but especially our young people, where they are – on the platforms they use, in the styles they speak and through the votes to which they already trust. Empathy is not only an ethical compass – it is a commercial strategy and an imperative for the health care community worldwide.
The health ecosystem of young people is vast, diversified and deeply human. And for those who are ready to adopt its complexity, it offers an extraordinary opportunity to connect, innovate and improve health for future generations.
Courtney Gray Haupt is a global co -president of health and president of American health.