Americans Worried About Severe Weather Trends

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According to a new survey by Infosurv, many Americans see alarming climate change trends and feel unprepared for strong storms and other inclement weather.

ATLANTA, GA (PRWEB) September 7, 2006 — From rising temperatures to powerful hurricanes, Americans are worried about severe weather.

According to a pro-bono public service survey conducted by Infosurv, Inc. and Greenfield Online, Inc., most Americans believe severe weather is increasing and that the trend is cause for concern.

“After a record-breaking hot summer and heavy media coverage of Hurricane Katrina, it is not surprising that many Americans are worried about the impact of severe weather,” said Jared Heyman, president and founder of the online survey company Infosurv. “What is surprising is how widespread that concern is and how many people feel unprepared to handle a strong storm.”

The survey results show that for more than 80 percent of Americans, severe weather hit home in the form of higher than usual temperatures during the past year. But with air-conditioned homes and automobiles, almost 90 percent of survey respondents said they feel prepared to handle the heat.

However, about 67 percent of survey respondents said they feel unprepared to handle both hurricanes and tornadoes.

The concerns exist even though less than 10 percent of Americans said they experienced a hurricane in the past year and less than 4 percent of Americans experienced a tornado. Only 4 percent of survey respondents said either themselves or a family member was injured or killed from one of these strong storms.

These worries coincide with the belief that hot weather and strong storms are on the rise while cooler temperatures are becoming less frequent. Only 13 percent of Americans said they are concerned about very low temperatures while more than half said they are concerned about hot weather.

Almost everyone surveyed said they must rely on themselves and their family to prepare for inclement weather. About 9 percent of survey respondents said the government should be responsible for preparing the American public for severe weather.

A statistically representative sample of more than 1,100 Americans was interviewed online in August for this pro-bono survey. The margin for error was +/- 2.95%.

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Christian Wright

Christian Wright is the VP of Client Services at Infosurv. With a master’s in marketing research, he’s equipped to design actionable research that yields impactful insights and drives change.
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