GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- A new CNN/USA Today/Â鶹´«Ã½AV poll finds a significant increase in the number of Americans worried that they or someone in their family will be exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome, known as SARS. Now more than 4 in 10 Americans are worried, up by a third in the past week. The poll also shows that 14% of air travelers have changed their minds about traveling because of the disease.
The poll, conducted April 22-23, finds 43% of Americans who are either very (11%) or somewhat (32%) worried about exposure, up from 32% who felt that way just a week ago. At the beginning of the month, 37% were worried.
| Worry About Exposure to SARS |
 |
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 4,400 cases of SARS have been reported worldwide since the disease was first identified, up by more than 900 in the past week. The vast majority of cases are in Hong Kong and China, where the disease is thought to have originated.
But closer to home, Toronto has just been singled out by the World Health Organization as one of the places that people should avoid if possible. The total number of cases reported in that city is 140, with 16 deaths, compared with close to 4,000 cases and 219 deaths in Hong Kong and China. Other than Toronto, the other locations on WHO's list of places to avoid are Hong Kong, Beijing, and the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Shanxi. In the United States, 37 cases have been reported, with no deaths.
The current poll shows that the largest increase in worry among Americans is expressed among people who live in the Midwest, now at 46%, up from just 26% last week. The East shows the lowest level of increase, up by just 1 percentage point, compared with 12-percentage-point increases each in the South and the West.
| Worry About Exposure to SARS: By Region |
 |
Overall, people in the West appear to be the least concerned, with Southerners and Midwesterners most concerned.
The poll also shows that women tend to be more worried than men, with the increase in worry over the past week also greater among women. Currently, 49% of women are very or somewhat worried, up by 15 percentage points from last week. By contrast, 37% of men are worried now, compared with 29% last week. The "gender gap" in worry is at 12 points, while seven days ago it was just 5 points.
| Worry About Exposure to SARS: By Gender |
 |
SARS Affecting Some Travel Plans
About one in seven "air travelers," 14%, have "changed their minds about traveling" as a result of SARS. "Air travelers," constituting 36% of the public, are defined as those who flew in the past month, or had plans to travel by air in the next six months.
| Change Plans as a Result of SARS (Among Air Travelers) |
 |
| Apr. 22-23, 2003 |
There are only slight differences in the responses to this question by region of the country. However, women air travelers are somewhat more likely to say their plans were changed due to SARS (16%) than are men (11%).
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,001 national adults, aged 18+, conducted April 22-23, 2003. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
As you may know, people in several countries in Asia and Canada have recently died from a new disease known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. How worried are you that you or someone in your family will be exposed to SARS -- very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not worried at all?
|
|
|
|
Not |
EXPOSED ALREADY (vol.) |
|
|
|
2003 Apr 22-23 |
11% |
32 |
36 |
21 |
-- |
* |
|
2003 Apr 14-16 |
10% |
22 |
43 |
24 |
-- |
1 |
|
2003 Apr 5-6 |
10% |
27 |
39 |
24 |
-- |
* |
|
* Less than 0.5% |
||||||
|
(vol.) Volunteered response |
||||||
Turning to travel,
Did you, personally, travel anywhere by air in the past month, or not?
Do you, or did you, have plans to travel by air in the next six months, or not?
COMBINED RESPONSES (Q.47-48)
|
|
Have air |
No recent/ |
|
|
|
2003 Apr 22-23 |
11% |
25 |
63 |
1 |
Have you changed your mind about traveling as a result of a new disease known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, or not?
BASED ON -- 405 -- ADULTS WHO EITHER TRAVELED BY AIR IN THE PAST MONTH OR DO OR DID HAVE PLANS TO TRAVEL BY AIR IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS
|
Yes |
No |
No opinion |
|
|
2003 Apr 22-23 |
14% |
86 |
-- |
