Half of Dog Owners Believe Their Dog Capable of Inflicting Serious Harm, if Provoked

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Very few dog owners are worried that their animal might inflict harm on a human being but about half admit that their dog is capable of causing such injuries if provoked. Roughly 10 percent of all Americans say that, due to fear of dog attacks, they are afraid to walk in certain areas near their homes. Women are slightly more likely then men to say they fear such an area (14% to 9%). In the same Gallup poll, 11% of Americans said that they feared dogs. These results are from a February 19-21 Gallup poll conducted after the tragic death of a San Francisco woman, who was mauled and killed by two Presa Canario-mastiffs. The dog's caretakers, charged with crimes stemming from the attack, had their arraignment postponed until April 13.

Forty-nine percent of dog owners believe that their pet is capable of inflicting serious harm on a human being if the dog is provoked. However, 75% of those same dog owners say they are "not worried at all" about such a prospect, and another 18% of owners say they are "not too worried." Just 7% of dog owners say they are "very worried" or "somewhat worried."

In the same February 19-21 survey, 42% of Americans said they had been bitten by a dog at some point in their lives, while 58% say they have never been bitten. A 1992-1994 survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that dog bites are responsible for 4.7 million injuries each year, and that 800,000 of those injuries require medical attention.

Survey Methods

The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,016 adults, 18 years and older, conducted February 19-21, 2001. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 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.

Everybody has fears about different things. But some are more afraid of certain things than others. I'm going to read a list of some of these fears. For each one, please tell me whether you are afraid of it, or not. How about – [RANDOM ORDER]?

 

2001 Feb 19-21 (sorted by "yes, afraid")	Yes, afraid	No, not afraid	No opinion
	%	%	%
Snakes	51	49	*
Public speaking in front of an audience	40	59	1
Heights	36	63	1
Being closed in a small space	34	65	1
Spiders and insects	27	73	*
Needles and getting shots	21	79	*
Mice	20	80	*
Flying on an airplane	18	80	2
Crowds	11	89	*
Thunder and lightning	11	89	*
Dogs	11	88	1
Going to the doctor	9	91	*
The dark	5	95	*

Do you or does any other member of your household own a dog or dogs?

 

	Yes	No	No opinion
2001 Feb 19-21	45%	55	0
1996 Aug 23-25	43%	57	*

How worried are you that your dog might cause serious harm to a human being – very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not at all worried?

BASED ON -- 443 -- DOG OWNERS; ±6 PCT. PTS.

 

	Very worried	Somewhat worried	Not too worried	Not at all worried	No opinion
2001 Feb 19-21	1%	6	18	75	*

Do you think your dog is or is not capable of inflicting serious harm to a human being, if provoked?

BASED ON -- 443 -- DOG OWNERS; ±6 PCT. PTS.

 

	Is capable	Is not capable	No opinion
2001 Feb 19-21	49%	49	2

As far as you know, is there a leash law in your community that requires dogs to be on leashes when they are outside, or are you unsure?

BASED ON -- 443 -- DOG OWNERS; ±5 PCT. PTS.

 

	Yes	No	Unsure	No opinion
2001 Feb 19-21	66%	16	18	*

Is there any area near where you live -- that is, within a mile -- where you would be afraid to walk because of your fear of being bitten or attacked by a dog, or not?

 

	Yes	No	No opinion
2001 Feb 19-21	11%	89	*

Have you, yourself ever been bitten by a dog, or not?

 

	Yes	No	No opinion
2001 Feb 19-21	42%	58	*