Flemington, NJ, April 29, 2009 – A new national study among 2,225 members of the general public revealed that 63% of respondents indicated that there is some risk that the current situation involving the Swine Flu will result in a catastrophic pandemic.
The study was conducted by HCD Research and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion (MCIPO) on April 27, to obtain the general public’s perceptions of the news that The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention has declared a public health emergency in regard to Swine Influenza (Swine Flu).
“When comparing the results of this study to a similar physicians’ study that we released yesterday, the general public’s perceptions of the swine flu and its potential risk were in-line with physicians’ views,” explained Glenn Kessler, president and CEO, HCD Research.
Approximately one-quarter of the general public (26%) reported that they were concerned that the swine flu will have an impact on themselves or their families. When asked how their behavior would change after the announcement of the public health emergency, respondents indicated that they would be 15% more likely to visit the doctor at the first sign of the flu.
Members of the general were asked to rank various life-threatening events on a scale which measured their level of concern for each event. A ranking of 1 represents “The most concerned” and a ranking of 6 represents “The least concerned.” Swine Flue was ranked 4th among all regions except for the west coast, which ranked it 3rd. Below are all the results broken down by U.S. regions:
|
|
Northeast |
Midwest |
South |
West or Pacific |
|
Car accidents |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Terrorist attacks employing a dirty or nuclear bomb |
3 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
|
Bio terrorism such as small pox or anthrax |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
Swine flu |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
|
Airline Accidents |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
Among the findings:
On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 indicates that your belief that the current situation has a no risk of resulting in a catastrophic pandemic (a large number of deaths worldwide) and 7 indicates an extremely high risk, please rate how risky you believe a swine flu epidemic to be. Indicate your prediction regarding the outcome of potential situation.
|
|
Total |
|
1 - No Risk |
2% |
|
2 - Low Risk |
9% |
|
Bottom 2 |
11% |
|
3 - Somewhat Low Risk |
14% |
|
4 - Neither At Risk or Not At Risk |
11% |
|
5 - Somewhat At Risk |
44% |
|
Top 2 |
19% |
|
6 - High Risk |
14% |
|
7 - Extremely High Risk |
5% |
Using a similar scale, where 1 indicates that the government is unprepared for a pandemic and 7 indicates that the government is extremely prepared, please rate our government's ability to prepare for a possible pandemic.
|
|
Total |
|
1 - Not At All Prepared |
7% |
|
2 - Not Prepared |
14% |
|
Bottom 2 |
20% |
|
3 - Somewhat Not Prepared |
17% |
|
4 - Neutral |
16% |
|
5 - Somewhat Prepared |
32% |
|
Top 2 |
14% |
|
6 - Prepared |
12% |
|
7 - Completely Prepared |
2% |
Based on what you may or may not already know about the swine flu cases originating from Mexico, please indicate your level of concern regarding whether this virus will have an impact on you and your family using a scale from 1 to 7. 1 indicates you have no concern and 7 indicates you are extremely concerned.
|
|
Total |
|
1 - Not At All Concerned |
4% |
|
2 - Not Concerned |
9% |
|
Bottom 2 |
13% |
|
3 - Somewhat Not Concerned |
13% |
|
4 - Neutral |
15% |
|
5 - Somewhat Concerned |
32% |
|
Top 2 |
26% |
|
6 - Concerned |
16% |
|
7 - Extremely Concerned |
10% |
Editors/Reporters: For more information on the study, or to speak with Glenn Kessler, president and CEO, HCD Research, or Chris Borick, Ph.D., director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, please contact Vince McGourty, HCD Research, at (908) 483-9121 or (vince.mcgourty@hcdi.net).
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