Red Cross Survey Shows Nearly 80 Percent of
Americans Plan Water-related Summer Activities, but a Third Lack
Sufficient Swimming Skills
Darke County, OH May 27, 2011 More than a third of people planning to
swim, boat or fish this summer cannot swim well, according to a new
American Red Cross survey. The survey1 of more than 1,000 adults, taken
earlier this spring, found that 78 percent of households are planning
at least one water-related recreational activity this summer. However,
37 percent describe their swimming skills as fair, lacking or
non-existent – with 13 percent unable to swim at all.
“Water safety is important for swimmers and non-swimmers alike, and the
best thing anyone can do to help stay safe during water-related
activities is to learn how to swim,” said Lynne Gump, Executive
Director, Darke County Chapter.
Proper adult supervision is essential during water activities, as the
survey showed that half of those surveyed will be in charge of
supervising a child near a pool, lake or other body of water this
summer.
“Most adults realize that leaving a child temporarily unsupervised near
or in the water is never acceptable, yet, sadly, every year lives are
lost because of this,” Gump added.
Children should not go near or enter the water without the permission
and supervision of an adult. Those who own a home pool should secure it
with appropriate barriers and install pool and gate alarms. The Red
Cross recommends designating at least one adult to solely be
responsible for watching those in and around the water - even if a
lifeguard is present. Adults should be in the water with inexperienced
swimmers and remain within arm’s reach of them. This “arm’s-reach
supervision” is safer than putting water wings or floaties on a small
child, as these items are not designed to keep a child’s face out of
the water and can leak, slip-off and provide a false sense of security.
However, the survey found that a third of the survey respondents (32
percent) mistakenly believed that the floaties were safer than
arms-reach supervision.
According to the Red Cross survey, men were more likely to know how to
swim than women (92 percent versus 82 percent) and 29 percent of those
65 and older could not swim at all. Men were more confident in their
abilities to handle water emergencies than women. For example, more
than half of men (54 percent) said they could safely handle a situation
where someone is in water over their head, compared to 36 percent of
women.
Details: Telephone survey of 1,085 U.S. adults 18 years and older on
April 7-11, 2011, conducted by ORC International. Margin of error is
+/- 3.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support
to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood;
teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and
supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a
charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on
volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its
mission. Water safety tips and information can be found on www.redcross.org. For more
information, please visit www.redcross.org
or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org
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