With NASA data showing that July 22, 2024 was the hottest day on record and indications that July may have been the hottest month yet, an Annenberg Center for Public Policy survey conducted in mid-July found that most people know three of the symptoms of a fever. -related illness but do not know the location of the nearest cooling center. At the same time, more and more people believe that heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense and affecting their daily activities.
Knowledge of cooling centers in case of extreme heat
Although the locations of cooling centers or indoor air-conditioned facilities, such as libraries, community centers and senior centers, schools are made public by city governments on hot days, many respondents report not knowing where to find one. Two-thirds of respondents (67%) say they don’t know the location of a cooling center they could go to in case of extreme heat, a figure statistically unchanged from last November. “Communities need to do a better job of making the public, especially the most vulnerable, aware of these centers,” said Ken Winneg, managing director of research research at the APPC.
More today see the link between extreme heat and climate change.
Compared to an APPC survey in November 2023, far more people now say climate change increases the risk of heat-related illnesses, respiratory illnesses and insect-borne diseases. Two thirds (67%) hold this view compared to just under 6 in 10 (58%) in November 2023.
More people are reporting that heat waves in the United States are becoming more frequent and more intense than in the past. About two-thirds (65%) believe heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense. Fifty-eight percent (58%) felt this way in November 2023, when we last asked the question. About a quarter (24%) think heat waves are about as frequent and severe as they’ve always been, statistically unchanged from our previous survey.
At the same time, the percentage of people who say that extreme heat often or often affected their typical daily activities in the past year has increased significantly. Forty-three percent (43%) say extreme heat outside has often (22%) or often (21%) affected their daily activities, an increase of 8 points compared to November 2023 (35% overall said either “often” or “frequently”).
Signs of heat-related illnesses
In particular, most people are also aware of three of the telltale signs of heat-related illness:
- Dizziness (89% compared to 86% in August 2022)
- Nausea (83% compared to 79% in August 2022)
- Hot, red, dry or moist skin (72%, statistically unchanged from August 2022)
- Cold, pale and soft skin (42%, statistically unchanged from August 2022).
The public understands some risks of extreme heat better than others
Looking ahead to the next 10 years, just under 6 in 10 (58%) think people in their community will be more likely to suffer heat stroke caused by extreme heat waves. This is significantly higher than in November 2023, when just over half (52%) said they believed people in their community would be more likely to suffer heat stroke caused by extreme heat waves in the next 10 years.
However, only 3 in 10 (30%) know that a pregnant woman in the US who is exposed to extreme heat is more likely to deliver her baby early than a pregnant woman who is not exposed to extreme heat. About a quarter (23%) incorrectly say that a pregnant woman in the US is either less or just as likely to deliver a baby prematurely. Forty-seven percent (47%) are not sure which is correct.
Widespread awareness that heat-related deaths are more common among the elderly
Two-thirds (67%) know that heat-related deaths are more common among the elderly, aged 65 and over, slightly but significantly higher than in August 2022 (62%).
Prevention of heat-related illnesses
Almost everyone (92%) knows that drinking water is better for preventing heat-related illnesses than drinking sugary drinks.
APPC ASAPH survey
The research data comes from the 20u wave of a nationally representative panel of 1,496 US adults, first created in April 2021, conducted for the Annenberg Center for Public Policy by SSRS, an independent market research firm. This wave of the Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge (ASAPH) survey was conducted July 11-18, 2024 and has a margin of sampling error (MOE) of ± 3.6 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All digits are rounded to the nearest whole number and may not add to 100%. Combined subcategories may not add to the totals on the top line and text due to rounding.
