Where people live in relation to the eastern and southern U.S.coasts influences their opinions on a range of issues related tonatural disaster preparedness, mitigation, and insurance, accordingto a report from the Insurance Research Council (IRC). The reportis the second in the Monitor series this year examining catastropheissues (click here to view a summary of the first issue).

IRC said the study, Public Attitude Monitor 2006, Issue 2,Influence of Coastal Proximity on Natural Disaster Preparedness andPlanning, analyzes public opinion on natural disaster issues basedon where a respondent lives in relation to the coastline of theAtlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

Unsurprisingly, results from the IRC study show that support formitigation strategies is strongest among those living in coastalcounties. For instance, 80 percent favored government action topreserve and rebuild wetlands in coastal areas, with 56 percentstrongly favored such action, compared to 45 percent from interiorcounties of coastal states and 38 percent in non-coastalstates.

The study also concluded that 96 percent of respondents fromcoastal counties favored building codes for new homes, compared to93 percent of those living in interior counties of coastal statesand 88 percent of those from non-coastal states. The study furtherreported that even when building codes would add six percent to thecost of a new home, 76 percent in coastal counties continued tofavor them, compared to 71 percent in interior counties and 62percent in non-coastal states.

IRC's study also examined how geographic residence influencesopinions about the fairness of policyholder and taxpayer subsidies.Half of those from coastal counties believed subsidies forwind-damage coverage are unfair, compared to 63 percent frominterior counties and non-coastal states. When posed with thequestion of taxpayer-subsidized insurance for natural disasters,such as the National Flood Insurance Program, 51 percent of thosein coastal counties found these to be unfair, compared to 59percent from interior counties and 61 percent from non-coastalstates.

More information about the study, including orderinginformation, is available at www.ircweb.org.

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