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August 9, 2026

Fauci Fallout Splits America

Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent Senate testimony has renewed attention on how Congress responds when witnesses refuse to answer questions, especially when Fifth Amendment rights and presidential pardons intersect. After declining to answer dozens of questions under subpoena, lawmakers are weighing whether to pursue contempt and what consequences could follow.

Past contempt cases have produced a wide range of outcomes, from prison sentences to no prosecution at all. With the legal implications of a broad presidential pardon still unsettled in this context, public opinion offers a snapshot of how Americans think Congress should proceed.

We wondered what Americans think about Dr. Fauci’s Senate testimony about the pandemic. So we asked 831 registered voters (MoE of 3.4%) from August 3–9, 2026 about it:

Which of the following statements best reflects your opinion on what, if anything, should follow Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Senate testimony about the pandemic?

  • Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted for contempt of Congress and, if convicted, serve prison time
  • Dr. Fauci should face criminal prosecution but receive only fines or non-custodial penalties
  • Dr. Fauci should be formally held in contempt of Congress but face no criminal penalties
  • Dr. Fauci should face no penalties but remain under congressional investigation
  • Dr. Fauci should face no penalties and no further congressional action

What voters said

No single option commands a majority, but the largest share of respondents, 44%, say “Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted for contempt of Congress and, if convicted, serve prison time.” Close behind, 39% say “Dr. Fauci should face no penalties and no further congressional action.” Smaller shares support intermediate steps, including 8% who favor investigation without penalties and 4% who support formal contempt without criminal punishment, while 2% favor fines and 3% chose none of the above.

Looking at meaningful groupings, 47% fall into the view that Dr. Fauci should face no penalties, whether or not congressional investigation continues. That slightly exceeds the 45% who support some form of criminal prosecution (either prison or fines). This framing highlights a closely divided public, with a narrow edge for taking no punitive action overall, even as the single most popular option is prison.

The headline result
Prison
44%
Fines
2%
Formal contempt
4%
Investigate only
8%
No action
39%
None of the above
3%
 See the details below →

Across the political spectrum

The divide becomes stark across the political spectrum. On the Right, support for prison is overwhelming at 88%, with almost no support for taking no action (1%). Among the Moderate Right, 82% also favor prison, reinforcing a strong preference for punitive measures.

On the Left, the pattern reverses: 87% say Dr. Fauci should face no penalties and no further congressional action, while only 4% support prison. The Center is more evenly split, with 38% backing prison and 33% favoring no action, and the remainder distributed among investigation or lesser penalties. These contrasts show that overall division is driven by sharply opposing views at either end of the spectrum.

The crosstabs
Left
87%
Moderate Left
12%
74%
Center
38%
16%
33%
Moderate Right
82%
Right
88%
PrisonFinesFormal contemptInvestigate onlyNo actionNone of the above
 See the details below →

Zooming out

Taken together, the results suggest that the public is divided among partisan lines on Dr. Fauci, perhaps inspired by the partisan divide over the COVID-19 period which had an enormous impact on society. Whether there is an equal divide, in general, about how far Congress should go in enforcing compliance from high-profile witnesses is unclear. For Dr. Fauci specifically, with opinion clustering into two opposing camps, any next step is likely to be contested.

See more of what America thinks in our ongoing polls.

The Details

The full crosstab table

ActiVote · Dr. Fauci's Pandemic Testimony · August 9, 2026
ActiVote 831 RV Unweighted Weighted Prison Fines Formal contempt Investigate only No action None of the above
National ±3.4% MoE 100% 100% 44% 2% 4% 8% 39% 3%
Political Spectrum Left 31% 20% 4% 1% 1% 4% 87% 3%
Moderate Left 29% 20% 7% 1% 5% 12% 74% 1%
Center 14% 20% 38% 3% 5% 16% 33% 4%
Moderate Right 13% 20% 82% 2% 6% 4% 2% 4%
Right 13% 20% 88% 1% 2% 6% 1% 3%
Region rural 36% 34% 48% 3% 4% 7% 35% 3%
suburban 35% 30% 42% 2% 4% 9% 42% 1%
urban 28% 35% 41% 1% 4% 8% 41% 5%
Age 18-29 28% 16% 38% 3% 5% 19% 34% 2%
30-49 40% 32% 38% 4% 3% 7% 42% 6%
50-64 18% 23% 56% 0% 0% 7% 33% 4%
65+ 14% 28% 43% 0% 7% 5% 45% 0%
Gender F 29% 53% 42% 2% 3% 7% 44% 2%
M 71% 47% 46% 1% 5% 10% 34% 4%
Affiliation D 44% 36% 12% 0% 4% 8% 74% 3%
R 26% 31% 76% 0% 7% 4% 7% 6%
I 26% 30% 46% 5% 2% 13% 33% 1%
Ethnicity White 83% 66% 46% 2% 4% 6% 40% 3%
Black 6% 11% 38% 3% 2% 9% 48% 0%
Latino 7% 15% 45% 0% 4% 7% 35% 10%
Income Low 24% 25% 47% 2% 2% 6% 40% 3%
Middle 33% 30% 41% 2% 5% 9% 38% 6%
High 43% 44% 44% 2% 4% 9% 40% 2%
Education Highschool 21% 26% 54% 3% 2% 2% 39% 1%
Some College 66% 60% 41% 1% 3% 11% 41% 4%
BSC+ 14% 14% 38% 4% 11% 8% 34% 5%
Methodology. Fielded August 3 – August 9, 2026 among 831 registered voters nationwide. Responses weighted by Demographics and Spectrum. Average expected error ±3.4%. See Why trust our polls? for the methodology, disclosures and accuracy record.