Report · Politics

Two-thirds have never been personally hit by a major natural disaster

Reading

In a Verasight survey conducted March 6-16, 2026, about two-thirds of Americans (66%) say they have not been personally affected by a major natural disaster. Three-in-ten (30%) say they have been affected at some point.

By timing, 11% report being affected more than ten years ago, 8% within the last six-to-ten years, another 8% within the last two-to-five years, and 3% within the past year. A combined 4% are unsure or decline to answer.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Two-thirds have never been personally hit by a major natural disaster.

Have you been personally affected by a major natural disaster?

  • No 65.5%
  • Yes, more than 10 years ago 11.1%
  • Yes, in the last 2-5 years 8.4%
  • Yes, in the last 6-10 years 7.9%
  • Do not know 3.2%
  • Yes, in the last year 3.1%
  • Prefer not to reply 0.8%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.5%

Module 3: Elections, Civic Life, & the Environment

View source

Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-03-06 → 2026-03-16
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.5%
Module
Module 3: Elections, Civic Life, & the Environment

Source

Citation

Verasight Client Omnibus Survey #2026-044, fielded March 6-16, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044#q-3-24

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.