OnePoll findings – Key Points on Carbon Monoxide
• Most people have some knowledge of carbon monoxide’s effects
o 70% know CO has no appearance, smell or taste
91% know CO has no appearance
84% know CO has no smell
74% know CO has no taste
o The most-recognised symptom was loss of consciousness (81%), followed by headaches (77%) and dizziness (74%)
Even the least-known symptom, breathlessness, was still known by 50%
o However only 13% got all of the “knowledge” questions (symptoms, smell, appearance, taste) correct
18% knew all of the symptoms, and didn’t select any incorrect symptoms
26% knew all of the symptoms, even if they also selected incorrect symptoms
o Of those who thought that CO had either an appearance, smell or taste, common misconceptions were that it is like gas (13%), smoke (6%), eggs (3%) or water (1%)
Strange taste misconceptions included butter, liquorice, cherries and almonds!
o Women know more about carbon monoxide than men do
79% knew that CO has no appearance, smell or taste, compared to only 60% of men
Women were more likely to know every real symptom of carbon monoxide, especially headaches and nausea
o Young people knew fewer symptoms than any other age group
• Under half of people (45%) have an audible carbon monoxide alarm
o Those aged 65+ are more likely (61%) than the under 25s (31%) to have one
o Most people recognise that audible CO alarms are affordable at £20 or under (65%)
9% think that they cost over £40, rising to 18% among the under 25s!
o Having an audible CO alarm would make people more likely to have their boiler serviced (net of 25%)
This falls a lot among the under 25s (net of 12%)
o It may be that people with smoke alarms mistakenly answered Yes
• Many householders do not realise the danger from their boiler
o Only 61% of householders recognise that boilers are a source of carbon monoxide
This falls to 56% of men and 56% of under 25s
25% identified cookers as a source, 12% identified heaters / heating systems
o Over a third of homeowners (36%) have not had their boiler serviced in the last year
o A quarter of renters (23%) have not had their appliances checked in the last year
20% don’t even know if their appliances have been checked in the last year or not
Among those renters whose Landlord has checked their appliances, almost a third (30%) have not seen a copy of the Landlord’s Certificate