More than one in four Americans are afraid to fly because of recent Ebola scares.
A GfK poll conducted for The Street asked respondents, “Has recent news about Ebola made you afraid to fly?” Twenty-seven percent said yes.
The poll found that 20% of Americans “feared both domestic and international travel, while 5% feared only international travel and 2% feared only domestic travel.” While 24% of men feared flying because of Ebola, 30% of women did. And 4% of Americans said “they have deferred or changed travel plans due to Ebola.”
Those earning above $50,000 (31%) were more fearful than those earning less than $50,000 (22%). The poll also found that Americans in the West (32%) feared flying more than those in the South (23%).
When Liberian immigrant Thomas Eric Duncan died after becoming the first person on American soil to be diagnosed with Ebola and infecting at least two nurses who treated him, the Obama administration instituted a limited travel ban for travelers from West Africa, restricting travel from those countries to five main airports where passengers must undergo screening. In recent days, there have been scares on planes when passengers with “Ebola-like symptoms” have gotten sick on flights from West Africa to Chicago and the Northeast.
The GfK poll was conducted Oct. 17-19.
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