Leena Koottungal
Survey Editor/News Writer
Several surveys have documented some of the after-effects on coastal residents of the oil spill that resulted after the Apr. 20 blowout of BP PLC's Macondo well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
Researchers at Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness, in collaboration with the Children's Health Fund and The Marist Poll, interviewed more than 1,200 Gulf Coast residents in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Of those surveyed, more than one third of parents reported that their children have experienced either physical symptoms or mental health distress as a consequence of the oil spill. One in five households of those surveyed reported a drop in income since the spill, and 8% reported job losses. These losses were most likely to hit those who were already economically vulnerable: households with annual incomes below $25,000.
Gallup conducted a similar survey and also found that Gulf Coast residents are worse off emotionally after the spill. Residents of Gulf Coast-facing counties reported 25.6% higher clinical diagnoses of depression in the period after the oil spill vs. before, according to the poll. Before the spill, 64.4% of the survey respondents who lived in gulf-facing counties along the Gulf Coast viewed their city to be getting better as a place to live. Post-spill, however, that percentage fell to 54.8%.
Business impact
In mid-May, The Knowland Group released their follow-up survey findings on the effects of the spill on the hospitality industry. In its survey of 50 hotels along the Gulf Coast that host meetings and events, Knowland found that 42% of hotels experienced group booking cancellations, which is up 7 percentage points from the survey conducted in early May.
Hotels are also confronting difficulties in booking future events, according to Knowland's survey. Of those hotels surveyed, 64% said the impacts are "minimal" at the moment, but 8% reported "moderate" impacts and 14% reported impacts that were "significant." Those booking difficulties are more near term than long term, with 44% of hotels surveyed stating that they had booking issues that were "immediate" and 40% stating having booking issues over the next 3-6 months.
As for the reasoning behind the cancellations, hoteliers are quick to hold the media responsible first. Fifty-six percent of hotels surveyed blamed "media hype" for decreased bookings, with 48% citing "potential beach effects," with only 14% citing guest concerns about a "petroleum odor in the air."
The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) conducted an online survey of member boat, engine, and accessory manufacturers on the effects of the spill on the recreational marine industry. NMMA surveyed 178 member chief executives in late-June through July. Of the companies surveyed, 76% forecasted growth in sales for 2010 before the spill. After the spill, 70% of the companies revised downward their sales projections for the year as a direct result. Of the companies with downward revisions, 64% revised their projections by 5-20%.
Long road to recovery
Alabama State University's Center for Leadership and Public Policy conducted a survey on the effects of the spill on Alabama vacationers.
Of the survey participants, 12% said the oil spill had caused them to change their summer vacation plans. Likewise, 9% of the 596 respondents also said they no longer plan to go to the beach. However, of the 44% of respondents who usually took summer vacations, 62% went to the beach. Twenty-eight percent of these respondents said they no longer plan to go to the beach.
In a different report, Gallup conducted a survey regarding the gulf beaches and wildlife. It found that Americans see the road to recovery for both the US beaches and wildlife to be a very long one. Fourteen percent of respondents believe it will take 4 years or less for beaches to fully recover. Eleven percent believe it will take 4 years or less for wildlife to be restored. Fifty-nine percent believe normal levels for some animal species will never be restored. And, sadly, nearly half of those surveyed believe that at least some of the affected beaches will never recover from the oil spill.
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