‘Warned but not protected’: Four in ten adults in England ignore heat alerts

As amber heat-health alerts spread across England this summer, a new study has found that the warnings are being received – but not changing behaviour.Research published by the United Nations University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health found that seven in ten adults in England had seen a formal heat alert, yet 41 percent of them took no action to protect themselves. The most common reason was not confusion, but disbelief: many simply did not see themselves as being at risk.Only 18 percent of people in England report a high perception of heat risk, the study found, and roughly 30 percent say they know little or nothing about how to protect themselves.Older, not wiserSocial media, the system’s main means of getting the word out, was the least trusted source of heat information, particularly among older adults – the group most vulnerable to extreme heat.The national survey published by UNU drew on the views of 1,097 adults along with 29 heat risk communicators. England’s warning system has been severely tested this summer – a season that is normally fast drawing to a close once it is mid-August. England's warning system was tested severely this summer. On 26 June, tempera...