Most Americans Not Worried About Getting Sick From Spinach

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Despite the scare caused by an outbreak of E.coli-related illnesses linked to the consumption of fresh spinach, a recent Gallup Panel poll finds that most Americans say they are not worried about getting sick from E.coli bacteria found in spinach; only about one in four are worried. Still, most Americans report that they are now less likely to eat fresh spinach as a result of the recent E.coli cases. Americans show less reluctance to consume frozen spinach or other leafy green produce like lettuce, all of which public health officials say are not affected by the problems afflicting fresh spinach. Concerns about fresh spinach and Americans' likelihood to say they will avoid it differ by gender and age, with older women showing higher levels of concern and expressing a greater likelihood not to eat spinach right now.

Americans' Spinach Worries

The poll, conducted Sept. 21-24, finds 23% of Americans saying they are at least somewhat worried that they or a member of their family will get sick from E.coli bacteria found in spinach. Seventy-seven percent of Americans say they are "not too" (36%) or "not at all" (41%) worried.

Men and women, as well as younger and older Americans, differ in their tendency to be concerned about getting sick from bacteria in spinach, though the strong majority of Americans in all demographic groups say they are not worried about getting sick from spinach.

By a 28% to 18% margin, women are more likely than men to say they are worried about getting sick from spinach. Roughly one in five adults under age 50 (19% of 18- to 34-year-olds and 21% of 35- to 49-year-olds) express this concern, compared with a slightly higher percentage of adults aged 50 and older (27%).

Women aged 50 and older show a higher level of concern about getting sick from spinach than do younger women or men of any age. Thirty-three percent of women aged 50 and older say they are very or somewhat worried about getting sick from the deadly strain of bacteria found in contaminated spinach, compared with 23% of women under 50 and 18% of men in both age groups.

Although the cases of E.coli in spinach have been detected only in certain parts of the country at this point, the current poll does not find any difference in worry by region -- the percentage saying they are worried about getting sick is 22% among Easterners, 25% among Midwesterners, 24% among Southerners, and 21% among Westerners.

Are Americans Less Likely to Eat Spinach Now?

The poll asked Americans whether they are less likely to eat fresh spinach, frozen spinach, and other leafy green produce such as lettuce as a result of the recent cases of E.coli.

The results show that a majority of Americans, 58%, say they are now less likely to eat fresh spinach. Most Americans, though, say they are not less likely to eat frozen spinach (39% say less likely and 57% not less likely) or other leafy green produce (23% vs. 76%). However, the poll did not ask Americans about their usual consumption of spinach, so it is unclear whether the people who report being less likely to eat spinach include some who would not be able to eat it in any case.

There are differences by age and gender in responses to this question:

As the table illustrates, women more so than men say they are now less likely to eat fresh spinach as a result of the recent E.coli cases, by a 63% to 53% margin. Older Americans more so than younger Americans say they are less likely to eat fresh spinach, with percentages at 52% for 18-to 34-year-olds, 56% for 35- to 49-year-olds, and 63% for those aged 50 and older.

Older women are more likely than younger women or men of any age to say they are less likely to eat fresh spinach. Two in three women aged 50 and older (67%) say they are less likely to eat fresh spinach, compared with 59% of women aged 18 to 49, 50% of men aged 18 to 49, and 59% of men aged 50 and older.

Gallup finds similar, though more modest, differences by age and gender in views of eating frozen spinach or other leafy green produce.

Survey Methods

Results for this panel study are based on telephone interviews with 1,010 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Sept. 21-24, 2006. Respondents were randomly drawn from Gallup's nationally representative household panel, which was originally recruited through random selection methods. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.