Public Resource
Poll: After Hurricane Helene, Voters Want the U.S. to Expand Its Disaster Relief
Marissa Farmer and Lew Blank. Data for Progress
Voters across party lines support FEMA but believe that the federal government could do more to help with disaster relief in general. Just under half of voters (49%) say that the increasing frequency and strength of hurricanes in the U.S. is primarily the result of climate change. Meanwhile, four in ten (42%) say that hurricanes are becoming more frequent and severe because of natural changes in the environment. Democrats overwhelmingly blame climate change for the increasingly frequent and severe hurricanes in the U.S. (71%) and Republicans overwhelmingly blame natural changes in the environment (67%). Around two-thirds of voters have favorable opinions of FEMA (67% favorable / 19% unfavorable), including majorities of Democrats (76%) and Republicans (60%). Still, slightly more than half of voters (52%)–including a plurality of Democrats (47%) and the majority of Republicans (57%)–say that the federal government is not providing enough support to Americans for disaster relief.