Exploration of Public Perceptions of Wastewater Surveillance, United States, June 2024

The study analyzed 2,024 written responses from a national survey on perceptions of wastewater surveillance (WS) conducted in June 2024. Wastewater surveillance is a tool launched by the CDC in September 2020 to monitor COVID-19 and later expanded to track other pathogens at approximately 1,500 sites across the United States. Among respondents, 66.3% had no concerns about surveillance, 14.1% expressed concerns, 12.3% were uncertain, 5.4% were unaware of initiatives, and 1.9% used only private wastewater systems. Primary themes from 1,181 detailed responses included varying levels of trust in government and authorities, the need for information about monitoring effectiveness and accuracy, desire to understand public health implications, and the need for greater education and communication.