66% Say Natural Disasters on the Rise, Poll Finds

Over the past two weeks, two major hurricanes have impacted much of the South, causing billions of dollars in damages and killing more than 225 people, according to the latest reports. These storms have brought climate-related issues to the forefront, and the latest Economist/YouGov poll found that people are increasingly attributing these natural disasters to climate change.

The poll, conducted Oct. 6-7 with 1,604 U.S. adults, found that 66% of respondents believe the frequency of natural disasters has increased in recent decades. Another 20% said the frequency has stayed the same, and 4% said it has decreased “a little” or “a lot.”

Of those who said the frequency of natural disasters is increasing, 59% believed that climate change was either “entirely” or “mostly” responsible for the increased frequency. Only 33% said climate change was somewhat or not at all responsible. Responses largely fell along party lines, with 81% of Democrats attributing the increased frequency of natural disasters to climate change, while only 28% of Republicans did the same.

The poll also asked people’s opinions on the causes of climate change. According to the poll, 56% believed that the world’s climate is changing “as a result of human activity,” while 25% said the climate is “not” changing because of human activity. Only 7% said they believed the world’s climate is not changing at all. A majority of Democrats, 82%, said they believed the world’s climate is changing because of human activity, while only 31% of Republicans thought it was human-driven.

Regarding approval of President Biden's handling of Hurricane Helene, 38% of respondents expressed approval, while 44% disapproved. In response to Hurricane Milton and the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Biden postponed a trip to Germany and Angola to “oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton, in addition to the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement Tuesday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had slightly better approval than Biden at 43%, despite controversy over limiting the response efforts of Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink, which involved delivering Starlink terminals to those affected by Hurricane Helene. However, Musk said on a podcast that he resolved the issue quickly on a call with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg by obtaining the necessary authorization for delivering Starlink terminals to parts of North Carolina where they previously were limited.

Another question in the poll asked whether respondents believe that presidential candidates should visit disaster sites or refrain due to concerns about diverting resources from the disaster response. Despite these concerns, 61% said candidates should visit “because it shows solidarity with the disaster victims.” Both Trump and Harris have visited North Carolina to discuss and aid the response to Hurricane Helene.