Public Opinion Quarterly Advance Access originally published online on November 6, 2007
Public Opinion Quarterly 2007 71(4):671-692; doi:10.1093/poq/nfm041
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The Polls—Trends
Public Reactions to Global Health Threats and Infectious Diseases
Address correspondence to Shirley S. Ho; e-mail: hol{at}wisc.edu. The survey results reported here were obtained from searches of the iPOLL Databank and other resources provided by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut.
Over the past two decades, newly emerging infectious diseases have developed into major global health concerns, sparking intense media coverage, and triggering fears of a global outbreak among public health experts and authorities. This article focuses on trends in American attitudes toward these newly emerged infectious diseases by analyzing poll data over the past 6 years about issues relating to avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome, West Nile virus, and anthrax. The polls show that Americans’ attention to news coverage seemed to be event driven, peaking when there were new human or animal cases, and decreasing rapidly when the diseases seemed to have been contained. Americans’ perceptions of threats were usually the highest in the early stages of major outbreaks. The public became more complacent when the outbreaks seemed to be under control. Both behavioral changes and general knowledge remained largely constant, suggesting a limited impact of the various informational and awareness campaigns by governmental agencies in the wake of these pandemics.
Abbreviations: ABC, ABC News • ABC/WP, ABC News/Washington Post • AP/IPSOS, IPSOS-Public Affairs for Associated Press • CBS, CBS News • CBS/NYT, CBS News/New York Times • GALLUP, Gallup Organization • GALLUP/CNN/USA, Gallup Organization for CNN/USA Today • HARRIS/TIME/CNN, Harris Interactive for Time and CNN • ICR/HARVARD, International Communications Research for Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security • ICR/HARVARD-RWJF, International Communications Research for Harvard School of Public Health Project, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation • IPSOS/DC, IPSOS-Reid for Dittus Communications • NORC, National Opinion Research Center • OD/FOX, Opinion Dynamics for Fox News • PSRA/KAISER, Princeton Survey Research Associates for Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard School of Public Health • PSRA/NEWS, Princeton Survey Research Associates for Newsweek • PSRA/PEW, Princeton Survey Research Associates for Pew Research Center • PSRA/PMFMI, Princeton Survey Research Associates for Prevention Magazine/Food Marketing Institute
SHIRLEY S. HO is a doctoral student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 5115 Vilas Communication Hall, 821 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, USA. She is also a senior tutor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. DOMINIQUE BROSSARD is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 5168 Vilas Communication Hall, 821 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706, USA. DIETRAM A. SCHEUFELE is a professor with a joint appointment in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 440 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA.