A Change Research national survey of 2,006 registered voters, conducted July 13-17, 2026, finds that 65% of voters are confident in their local community’s ability to respond to a natural disaster or extreme weather event, while 55% say the same about their state government and 34% express confidence in the federal government.
Household Exposure to Extreme Weather
Twenty-two percent of voters reported that their household was personally affected by a natural disaster or extreme weather event in the past 12 months, including hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, extreme heat, flooding, or severe winter storms. Reported exposure varies by region: 26% of voters in the Northeast and 25% in the Midwest said their household was affected, compared with 14% of voters in the West.
The Effects of Natural Disasters
Among voters who reported being affected by a natural disaster or extreme weather event, 64% cited a higher-than-normal utility bill, the most cited effect of any option we provided. A power outage was the second most cited response at 53%, followed by damage to a home or vehicle at 31%. About one in four cited a canceled or postponed event or trip, and about one in eight reported an illness or injury for themselves or someone they know. About 7% reported having to evacuate their home.
Confidence in Disaster Response
We asked about confidence in local communities and state and federal government in responding to a natural disaster. Local communities received the highest confidence ratings: 65% of voters said they are confident in their local community’s ability to respond to a disaster, including 21% who said they are very confident. State government confidence was lower, with 55% of voters expressing confidence. The federal government received the lowest rating: 34% of voters expressed confidence in its disaster preparedness, while 64% reported no confidence.
Views on federal preparedness vary significantly along party lines, with 63% of Republicans expressing confidence in the federal government’s readiness, compared with 20% of Pure Independents and 11% of Democrats. Regional variations were smaller: people in the West reported the lowest federal confidence of any region, with 31% expressing confidence, compared with 36% among respondents in the Midwest.
Local Government Support
In the survey, 52% of voters indicated they feel that local governments do not do enough to “help residents, especially older adults and people with lower incomes, stay safe during natural disasters and extreme weather events.” About 22% said local governments do enough, and 26% were not sure.
55% of voters in the South said local governments do not do enough, the highest share of any region we asked about, compared with 48% of voters in the Midwest. Women indicated that they believe local governments do not do enough at a higher rate than men, 54% to 48%.
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