Harvard Opinion Research Program (HORP)
The Harvard Opinion Research Program (HORP) conducts and analyzes public opinion research about public health and emergencies, health care policy, economic and social policies, international public health, and elections, revealing the attitudes and experiences shaping health and politics across the U.S. and around the world.
Public Views of H1N1 III – June 2009
FIELD DATES: June 22-28, 2009
SELECT FINDINGS:
- Likelihood of serious outbreak – Approximately six in ten Americans (59%) believed it is very or somewhat likely that there will be widespread cases of influenza A (H1N1) with people getting very sick in the coming fall or winter. Parents were more likely than people without children to believe this.
- Concerns about the outbreak –More than half of Americans (61%) were not concerned about their personal risk-that is, that they or their family members will get sick from influenza A (H1N1) in the next year. The World Health Organization’s decision to raise the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 did not dramatically impact Americans’ level of concern about their personal risk.
- Problems for parents – About half (51%) of parents with children in school reported that if schools/daycares closed for two weeks, they or someone else in their household would likely have to miss work in order to care for the children. Forty-three percent of these parents reported that they or someone in their household would likely lose pay or income and have money problems; 26% of these parents reported that they or someone in their household would likely lose their job or business as a result of having to stay home in order to care for the children.
- Recent experience with H1N1 – 27% of Americans reported that there had been cases of influenza A (H1N1) among people in their community, and 18% reported that schools in their community had closed due to influenza A (H1N1).
METHODS AND SAMPLE: Telephone poll conducted with a representative national sample of 1,823 adults age 18 and over, including oversamples of parents, non-Hispanic African Americans and Hispanics, and specifically parents who are non-Hispanic African Americans and Hispanics. 315 non-Hispanic African Americans and 260 Hispanics were interviewed. The number of parents in total is 744, which includes 115 non-Hispanic African American parents and 131 Hispanic parents.
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