A Study of the General Populations’ Knowledge of Mosquitoes and West Nile
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the lack of understanding by the public about the West Nile Virus and if there are common factors that influence people’s knowledge about this virus. We hypothesized that there is a lack of knowledge about West Nile Virus and a few factors might reveal the reason behind the gap in the public's understanding of this subject. A google form survey was sent out to 112 people. The survey contained questions about age, gender, education level, college major/concentration, and a questionnaire about West Nile Virus. The survey was sent to mostly people that had a connection with the students in the Texas A&M entomology 423 course. According to our data collected, the majority of people are from the age range of 18 to 27 and have some college education. Most responses stated that they are from College Station or Bryan or the state of Texas in general, and they answered most of the West Nile questions in the survey correctly. These correct answers led to the change in the purpose and hypothesis from lack of knowledge to surplus of knowledge. Based on the responses received, education level and location of current residence were common factors that could explain the extensive knowledge of the general public regarding West Nile.References
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