Public: Response to Katrina Better Now Than Just After Hurricane Hit

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Most Americans were not impressed with the initial response to Hurricane Katrina, but according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey, majorities of Americans now say that the people and officials involved in the rescue effort are doing a good job. The weekend poll shows Americans were inclined to fire Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown (who resigned from FEMA on Monday). Most Americans believe that government agencies in New Orleans should have been better prepared, and they support the proposal for an independent investigation into the problems with the government's response. But they reject the notion that race or poverty were reasons why the government was slow to respond.

The poll, conducted Sept. 8-11, finds that 58% of Americans say they have been following the news about the hurricane "very closely" and another 38% "somewhat closely." Only the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the war with Iraq found more Americans paying "very" close attention to those events -- out of a list of over 150 events tracked by Gallup since the early 1990s.

The vast majority of Americans have also reacted emotionally to the events in the Gulf Coast -- 98% say they have felt sadness, 78% shock, and 62% anger.

When asked about the initial response to Hurricane Katrina, majorities of Americans are critical of President George W. Bush, FEMA and federal government agencies responsible for handling emergencies, state and local officials in Louisiana, and the residents of New Orleans. However, when asked how these same groups were responding to the hurricane in the past few days, majorities of Americans say each person or group has been doing a good job.

[INITIAL RESPONSE:] Now thinking about what happened immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit and NOT what has happened in the past few days, how would you rate the way -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- initially responded to the hurricane -- as very good, good, poor, or very poor?

[SUBSEQUENT RESPONSE:] Now thinking about what has happened in the past few days in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and NOT what happened immediately after it hit, how would you rate the way -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- has responded to the hurricane in the past few days -- as very good, good, poor, or very poor?

The results show little differentiation among the four groups, suggesting the public believes blame for the problems should be shared by many. In that regard, 70% believe there should be an independent investigation into the problems with the government's response; only 29% disagree.

By a 47% to 37% margin, with the rest expressing no opinion, Americans were of the opinion (in the weekend poll) that at least one person, FEMA Director Michael Brown, should be fired. (Brown resigned on Monday, Sept. 12. Last Friday, Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen replaced Brown as commander of Hurricane Katrina relief operations. Bush supported Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's decision to reassign Brown.)

The public does not accept the argument "that there was no way for [government agencies] to adequately prepare for a hurricane that strong." Instead, by a 71% to 28% margin, the public believes that the agencies should have been better prepared. Americans are also more likely to believe that the slow response was a result of bureaucratic inefficiency (49%) than a lack of adequate preparation (40%).

Effects of Hurricane Katrina

Most Americans say the effects of Katrina will hurt them financially in the next year. Forty-three percent expect to be hurt "a lot" by Katrina, and another 37% expect to be hurt "a little." Such expectations are highly related to household income, with 58% of people earning less than $30,000 a year saying they will be hurt a lot, compared with only 29% who earn $75,000 a year or more.

Despite criticisms of the government about its response to Katrina, clear majorities of Americans have confidence in the federal government's ability to respond both to future natural disasters, and to terrorist attacks.

• Sixty percent of Americans express a "great deal" or "moderate amount" of confidence in the federal government to respond to natural disasters, compared with 40% who have "not much" confidence or "none at all."

• Similarly, 63% have confidence in the federal government to respond to terrorist attacks, while 37% do not.

Q.28 How much confidence do you have in the federal government's ability to respond to future natural disasters -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or none at all?

Q.29 How much confidence do you have in the federal government's ability to respond to future terrorist attacks -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or none at all?

President Bush

Despite initial criticisms of the federal government's slow response to Katrina, Bush's overall job approval rating remains essentially where it was at the end of August. Currently, 46% approve of his overall performance, compared with 45% in an Aug. 28-30 poll, both up slightly from a 40% reading earlier in mid-August. Fifty-one percent disapprove of the way Bush has been handling his job as president.

Americans are slightly less positive about Bush's handling of the response to Hurricane Katrina, with 43% approving and 54% disapproving.

News Media

The public approves of the way the news media have covered the disaster -- 77% of Americans say the media have acted "responsibly" in their coverage; only 20% say "irresponsibly."

Nevertheless, 49% of Americans say the media are spending too much time trying to figure out who is responsible for the problems in the areas affected by the hurricane, compared with 48% who say that about Democratic leaders in Congress, and 31% about congressional Republican leaders.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,005 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Sept. 8-11, 2005. 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.

For results based on the 533 national adults in the Form A half-sample and 472 national adults in the Form B half-sample, the maximum margins of sampling error are ±5 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.

The poll did not dial into some of the areas of Louisiana and Mississippi that were declared federal disaster areas following Hurricane Katrina. This amounts to about 0.75% of the U.S. population.

10. How closely have you been following the news about Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding in the city of New Orleans -- very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?

11. Please say whether you, personally, have felt each of the following emotions in response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, or not. How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

Q.12-13 SPLIT SAMPLED

12. Now thinking about what happened immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit and NOT what has happened in the past few days, how would you rate the way -- [RANDOM ORDER]-- initially responded to the hurricane -- as very good, good, poor, or very poor?

BASED ON 533 NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A

A. George W. Bush

B. FEMA and other federal government agencies responsible for handling emergencies

C. State and local officials in Louisiana

D. The residents of New Orleans

13. Now thinking about what has happened in the past few days in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and NOT what happened immediately after it hit, how would you rate the way -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- has responded to the hurricane in the past few days -- as very good, good, poor, or very poor?

BASED ON 472 NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B

A. George W. Bush

B. FEMA and other federal government agencies responsible for handling emergencies

C. State and local officials in Louisiana

D. The residents of New Orleans

SUMMARY TABLE (Q.12-13)

14. Do you think FEMA Director, Michael Brown should -- or should not -- be fired?

15. Which comes closer to your view about the government agencies in New Orleans responsible for dealing with natural disasters -- [ROTATED: they should have been better prepared to deal with the hurricane, (or) there was no way for them to adequately prepare for a hurricane that strong]?

16. Who do you think deserves the most blame for the fact that many New Orleans residents were trapped in the city after it flooded -- [ROTATED: the mayor of New Orleans, the residents themselves, (or) the Bush administration] -- or does no one deserve any blame?

17. In your view, which was the greater obstacle to the federal government's response to the hurricane -- [ROTATED: neglecting domestic needs like emergency preparedness and infrastructure in the past, (or) bureaucratic inefficiency]?

18. Now thinking about the looters in New Orleans who entered stores and took things in the first few days after the hurricane, which comes closer to your view -- [ROTATED: they were mostly criminals taking advantage of the situation, (or) they were mostly desperate people trying to find a way to survive]?

19. Do you think -- [ITEMS A-B ROTATED, ITEM C READ LAST] -- are currently spending -- [ROTATED: too much time, the right amount of time, or too little time] -- trying to figure out who is responsible for the problems in the areas affected by the hurricane?

Q.20-21 ROTATED

20. Just your best guess, do you think one reason the federal government was slow in rescuing these people was because many of them were poor, or was that not a reason?

21. Just your best guess, do you think one reason the federal government was slow in rescuing these people was because many of them were black, or was that not a reason?

22. Now thinking about the residents of New Orleans and other cities who were evacuated because of the hurricane, does it bother you, personally, when you hear people refer to them as "refugees," or not?

23. Overall, do you feel the news media have acted responsibly or irresponsibly in its coverage of Hurricane Katrina?

24. Do you think there should -- or should not -- be an investigation by an independent panel into the problems with the government's response to the hurricane?

26. Do you think the effects of Hurricane Katrina will -- or will not -- hurt your family's financial situation over the next 12 months? [Will it hurt them a lot, or only a little?]

27. Suppose your home was destroyed due to a natural disaster and the community in which you lived was ruined. Would you -- [ROTATED: want to go back to your community and try and rebuild, (or would you) want to move to another community and start a new life there]?

Q.28-29 SPLIT SAMPLED

28. How much confidence do you have in the federal government's ability to respond to future natural disasters -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or none at all?

BASED ON 533 NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A

29. How much confidence do you have in the federal government's ability to respond to future terrorist attacks -- a great deal, a moderate amount, not much, or none at all?

BASED ON 472 NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B