The hurricanes of 2005 had a devastating effect on the life and livelihood of Gulf Coast residents, and could be having a negative effect on the insurance industry. Recovery from the tremendous damage wreaked by Hurricane Katrina will cost unprecedented amounts of money: the U.S. government's most recent budget estimates spending for hurricanes Katrina and Rita at more than $100 billion. Recently, the Bush administration asked Congress to approve another $18 billion in aid, still far short of what's needed, according to insurance industry analysts. Tensions among the key players--federal, state, and local governments, disaster and relief agencies, the insurance industry, and hundreds of thousands of policyholders--seem unavoidable.
Each quarter, Ipsos-Public Affairs designs a study of American opinion on different topics for the PBS program Flashpoints USA. The latest study, fielded in the days leading up to the handover of power to the interim Iraqi government, examined American opinion on the conduct and consequences of the war. The poll was designed to provide context and generate debate on the program.
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