Executive Summary · Drug Policy Reform

Last updated: October 2026
The XandY Poll, 2023 (N = 1,527) and 2025 (N = 1,467)
plus The Psychedelic Five segmentation

How Americans think about psychedelics, and what moves them

The essential findings from XandY's national polling on this topic, condensed to one page for advocacy groups, communicators, and policymakers.

All drug policy research

The numbers that matter

3 to 1support outnumbers opposition by 3 to 1 for allowing therapeutic uses of MDMA and psilocybin, and this net support is found among both Democrats and Republicans 73%nearly 3 in 4 Americans support allowing scientific research on psychedelics 51% vs 38%in our controlled experiment, the medical prescription ballot measure produced stronger support than legal adult use without home cultivation 2 in 3think psychedelics are at least "moderately" addictive. Even though they're not. A majority (60%) think they harm physical health. Even though they don't 33%remain neutral or unsure. Sentiment toward psychedelics is divided, but the large amount of "Neutral" responses indicates that many Americans are persuadable 5distinct personas. Americans' views on psychedelics cluster into five audiences, from Advocates (17% of US adults) to the Opposed (36%)

Three charts to remember

The medical prescription policy is most supported0%20%40%60%51%Medicalprescription41%Decriminalization38%Legal adult use(no home cultivation)% who support, controlled experiment, The XandY Poll 2025 Who is trusted for information?0%35%70%Doctors or medical experts64%Scientists63%Psychiatrists / mental health experts59%People who have had psychedelic therapy47%The FDA44%Law enforcement35%Pharmaceutical companies29%Politicians or elected officials13%% who somewhat or strongly trust, The XandY Poll 2023 Five audiences, not two campsShare of US adults in each audience, most supportive to most opposed17%Advocates12%Conflicted22%Curious12%Disconnected36%OpposedEach has its own beliefs, policy views, trusted sources, andcommunication needs. Read the profiles and the playbook for each.The Psychedelic Five, 2026

What the public thinks

  • Misperceptions are common. A majority of U.S. adults have basic misconceptions, such as thinking psychedelics are addictive. Psychedelics are seen as less harmful than tobacco and alcohol, but more harmful than marijuana. Read more →
  • Divided, with many undecided. Negative perceptions slightly outnumber positive perceptions, but uncertainty is most common. Only 3% of first-word associations with "psychedelics" are explicitly positive; mushrooms, LSD, nothing, drugs, and tripping make up three quarters of the answers. Read more →
  • Five audiences, not two camps. Americans don't split into two camps on psychedelics. The five audiences each have different beliefs, support different policy, trust different sources, and need different types of communication approaches. Read more →

What moves them

  • Medical access wins; legalization divides. Medical access, either by prescription or supervised administration, tends to have both the most support and the least opposition. Legal adult use tends to be least supported and most opposed. In Massachusetts, legalization lost 43 to 57. Read more →
  • The reasons behind each side. Support is justified by scientific evidence, autonomy, ceremonial use, and therapeutic benefits. Neutrality and indecision are caused primarily by uncertainty and a lack of information. Opposition is triggered by the belief in significant harms to people and society. Read more →
  • Who delivers the message. The most trusted sources of info are medical professionals and people with personal experience. Politicians rank last with everyone. Lived-experience voices are trusted by some and distrusted by others, so use them selectively, not universally. Read more →

What to do about it

  • Start with research and therapy. The most productive starting points for action are permitting scientific research and therapeutic uses. Even a majority of the Opposed (63%) support allowing scientists to study psychedelics, which presents a rare opening. Read more →
  • Focus on the undecided middle. It is optimal to focus communication efforts on the large undecided and neutral group. The Curious are the biggest movable audience, and they have the shortest distance to travel: attach substance to their positive feelings. Read more →
  • Center trusted voices and take concerns seriously. Advocacy campaigns should center on the voices of trusted medical professionals and on patient success stories. For the wary, "done right" is the key to accessing their support; one-sided exuberance will immediately raise red flags. Read more →

Sources: The XandY Poll, November 2023 (N = 1,527) and April 2025 (N = 1,467), U.S. adults (18+): How Americans think about psychedelics · Americans' opinions of psychedelics and support for policy reform · Who is trusted for information · Most Americans overestimate the harms of psychedelics · What people think of when they hear "psychedelics" · The Psychedelic Five (2026) · Reflecting on Question 4 (2024). Contact: xandyanalytics.com/contact · XandY — the science of social momentum.