Many Americans still hold unproven and false beliefs about risk factors for autism , a large new survey reveals.

A quarter of more than 30,000 adults in a recent study said childhood vaccination and taking acetaminophen – also known as Tylenol – during pregnancy were tied to the brain development condition — despite extensive evidence showing the opposite.

More men and Republicans were likely to endorse these beliefs, as well as adults aged 35-44 and people who were Black or Hispanic. Republican leaders such as Robert Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump have pushed the ideas about vaccination and autism.

The findings may reflect diminished trust in traditional sources of public health, the researchers from Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey suggest. Greater trust in scientific and medical institutions was associated with lower rates of endorsement.

“Our results add to abundant evidence of the growing politicization of beliefs about science and medicine,” they wrote.…