Atomik Research were commissioned to conduct PR research by national charity, Allergy UK, to look at the effect of air pollution on people’s lives and allergies. Specifically it looked at the effect of air pollution on the health of children, and the impact of traffic pollution. To find out Atomik Research surveyed 2,002 UK adults to assess their knowledge of air pollution, the link between hay fever and asthma and how much they’d considered the impact on their children’s health.
Key findings from the PR survey included:
- 73% of respondents would describe hay fever as an allergy
- 26% would describe hay fever as an illness
- 17% would describe hay fever as a genetic disorder.
- 54% of Brits believe the air where they live is heavily polluted
- 72% of parents have considered the effects of air pollution on either theirs or their child’s health
- 47% of children travelling to school by car, despite most living within a walkable distance of the school
- 75% of parents are confident their child’s hay fever impacts their performance at school
- 46% of parents are unaware of the link between hay fever and asthma.
- A pharmacist (27%) is the most likely first point of contact for consultation on hay fever symptoms, followed by a GP (25%)
- 25-34’s are most likely to understand what air pollution is (70%)
- 25-34’s are most likely to say that they live an area with there is a lot of air pollution (70%). They are also most likely to consider the effect of air pollution on either theirs or their children’s health.
- Men are more confident in their knowledge of air pollution than women (68% vs 54%)
- Women are more likely to be familiar with the link between hay fever and asthma (52% vs 45%).
- 77% of Londoners would say that the area where they live has a lot of air pollution.
- Respondents in East Anglia and the North East are most likely to be familiar with the link between hay fever and asthma (55%), while respondents in the South East are least likely (53%).
- Respondents in the North East are most likely to think that more should be done by schools to safeguard children with allergies such as hay fever, asthma and food allergies (86%).
The PR survey was part of a broadcast PR campaign created in conjunction with our parent company, 4media group, which consisted of research and broadcast PR elements.
The campaign achieved 74 items of coverage across broadcast, print and online media including 36 regional BBC radio stations, BBC 5 Live, LBC, Sky News Radio, Talk Radio, the Express.co.uk, MSN, The Daily Star Online , The Daily Star, The Express and Star, The Manchester Evening News, and more!
