Poll: High patient interest in clinical trials contrasts with lack of provider invitation

May 2026

National polling finds patients express strong interest in clinical trials, but most say they have not been invited by their provider.

Key findings

This polling builds on 2024 patient research, which showed that clinical trial participation is often limited not by lack of interest, but by whether patients are informed about or offered the opportunity by their healthcare provider.

Patient interest and provider discussions

• 71 percent say they would be likely to participate if given the opportunity.
• 64 percent of adults with chronic conditions say their healthcare provider has never discussed clinical trials with them.

Factors that may increase likelihood of participation

• 90 percent report at least one factor that would make them more likely to participate.
• Most commonly reported factors include compensation (52 percent), clear information on risks and benefits (46 percent), and a provider recommendation (43 percent).

Reported challenges related to participation

• 85 percent report at least one challenge to participating in clinical trials.
• 38 percent report gaps in information about clinical trials.
• The most commonly reported challenges include travel distance (43 percent) and out-of-pocket travel costs (40 percent).

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States between April 9-13, 2026, among 2,041 adults (aged 18 and over), including 1,322 who have any chronic health condition. The survey was administered by The Harris Poll on behalf of Patient Advocate Foundation via its Harris On Demand omnibus product.

Data were weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income, and political party affiliation, to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within ± 2.7 percentage points using a 95 percent confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to other multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including, but not limited to coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.

*PAN Foundation and Patient Advocate Foundation announced a strategic merger in March 2026, operating as Patient Advocate Foundation. Learn more at Uniting.PatientAdvocate.org.