Statewide Survey on Environmental Health

What are the biggest environmental health problems as viewed by North Carolinians? How are these problems viewed as personal versus collective health threats? And how do North Carolinians feel about the information they need—and may or may not have—to protect themselves successfully from environmental health threats? 

CHHE is dedicated to understanding how human health is impacted by environmental factors and using this knowledge to reduce adverse impacts and improve human health. To understand how Center research intersects with North Carolina residents’ lives, the CEC conducts a statewide survey on environmental health about every two years. The online questionnaire collects data from a representative sample of adults across the state to get a sense of how and where people get information related to environmental health, how they think about environmental health issues broadly, and how they perceive and respond to specific environmental health issues that are directly related to CHHE research.

Summary results from these surveys are shared with Center leadership and Stakeholder Advisory Board members. The data is available to strengthen and provide context for members’ grant proposals and presentations.

Below you will find the topline results and summary reports from each survey. We began collecting data in 2020, and are now able to implement the survey on a biennial basis.

We are currently editing and re-formatting the most recent reports. Please check back soon to see them!

2020 Survey: Perceptions of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and COVID-19
In our first survey of North Carolina residents in Summer 2020 asked them about information sources, environmental problems, and two particular environmental health issues:
• Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including their awareness of PFAS and their beliefs about protective behaviors; and
• The COVID-19 pandemic, including their knowledge of the pandemic and their beliefs about its health consequences.

2021 Survey: Perceptions of Heart & Lung Health and COVID-19

The data collection in 2021 included questions about social media use in addition to questions we asked in 2020. The two issues we focused on in 2021 were:

• The COVID-19 pandemic, again, to gauge how perceptions may have shifted since 2020 along with people’s vaccination status; and
• Risks related to pulmonary and cardiovascular health (e.g., dust, pet dander, pesticides, smoke, and household cleaners), including people beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes about ways to protect themselves.

2024 Survey: Perceptions of Heavy Metals and Health Effects of Climate

In 2024, our survey provided insights into shifts in where people get news (social media, newspapers, television) and perceptions of various environmental problems. We also focused on two environmental health issues that we had not examined previously:

• Contamination from heavy metals and their effects on health, such as lead in pipes or cadmium in soil; and

• The health effects of climate, including from extreme weather events, extreme heat, flooding, and similar hazards.

For more information, contact Andy Binder.