Bed Bugs Changing Americans' Lives

One out of five Americans (20%) says that recent news about bedbug infestations have caused them to change their plans to go to certain public places.

Still, a Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 68% of Adults have not changed any plans due to reports of bedbugs. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure if the reports had an impact on their plans to go to public places.

While only nine percent (9%) of Americans say they or someone they know have had recent problems with bedbugs, 84% say that’s not the case.

But nearly half of adults (46%) are at least somewhat concerned about bedbugs affecting them personally. Fifty-three percent (53%) say they are not concerned. Those numbers include 20% who are Very Concerned and only 12% who are Not At All Concerned.

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on August 28-29, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

In July, bedbugs were reported at CNN’s Manhattan offices, and that same month, a Hollister clothing store in the SoHo district was forced to close due to bedbugs. Just this week, a pop singer reported getting bedbug bites in her swanky New York City hotel.

Young adults are more likely than their elders to report recent problems with bedbugs or know someone who has.

Adults with children at home are slightly more concerned about bedbugs than adults without children at home, though more adults with children at home say they have not changed plans due to bedbug reports.

Overall, 62% of Americans say they have followed news reports about bedbugs at least somewhat closely. Thirty-four percent (34%) have not been following reports.