Natural disasters raise many concerns for U.S. adults, so much so that 80% of the respondents in a recent survey called for stricter building codes.
Many adults want higher building standards, according to a survey Pew Research Center released Thursday. Pew said 77% of the adults it surveyed called for the federal government to take action on new building codes for new construction, and 64% said Uncle Sam should provide financial assistance for people to rebuild.
Support appears to be bipartisan, with a majority of respondents along the political spectrum supporting stricter building codes: 71% who identify as Republicans and 84% who said they were Democrats. Financial assistance also drew widespread support from participants, with 60% backing from Republicans and 68% from Democrats.
Pew Research Center asked 5,772 U.S. adults nationwide to respond to its survey from late April through early May. It drew 5,085 responses, or 88% of the total number of people sampled.
The number of weather-related disasters remains strong. In January, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported 27 disasters totaling about $1 billion in damage, down slightly from 28 in 2023.