Some public attitudes about health and the environment

Public opinion is formed both by long-term developments and--at the other extreme--by single unanticipated events. This suggests that readers of opinion survey findings should note field interviewing dates and further determine what the news media have been reporting about relevant developments and events. Personal health and the cost of health care are high on the public's agenda; this is an important backdrop to a review of public attitudes and priorities related to health and the environment. What about the environment? Americans increasingly believe that we are not spending enough on environmental protection and improvement. The public thinks of environmentalists in a favorable light, and a very sizeable minority believe they have too little influence--the same number who feel it's "about right." Our surveys have shown that the more people perceive an environmental threat to their safety, well-being and health, the more they will want regulation or industry action to meet the threat. High on the public's anxiety list are hazardous wastes (especially their disposal) and the transport and use of toxic materials in manufacturing and processing, industrial accidents involving the release of pollutants, the leakage of chemical waste into the soil, and the pollution of water and air from industrial sources. Our data support the assumption that for the foreseeable future these and certain other ecological dangers will be seen as serious by large majorities of Americans. For example, even the safety of drinking water has slowly become more questionable in the public's mind.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)