National Survey Shows Nationwide Belief in Groundhog’s Prediction

HOUSTON, TX February 2, 2007 – Weather forecasters may be catching a little extra heat this February, and it’s not from the sun. According to the “Seemore Safety Campaign” survey of more than 1,000 licensed drivers, conducted by Directive Analytics and commissioned by Rain-X, nearly one-quarter of those surveyed pay attention to the Groundhog’s prediction and even believe his forecast over that of their local meteorologist’s prediction. Not surprisingly, those who find the Groundhog’s prediction more trustworthy than weather forecasters are also more apt to find forecasting unreliable. While the Groundhog is gaining support, weather forecasters seem to be losing ground to their furry counterpart as only 25 percent of participants put their complete trust in weather forecasting and find it to be completely reliable.

The survey also revealed that, 71 percent of respondents check the weather at least once a day and one-third of the participants label themselves “weather-obsessed” often checking the weather multiple times per day. As expected, nearly all participants of the survey were aware of the meaning of Groundhog Day, although the female participants are more knowledgeable than their male counterparts regarding the groundhog’s mystery. Women also tend to believe more than the men that the Groundhog will see his shadow in 2007. Based on the opinions of those surveyed, the 2006-07 winter will be extended six weeks as 61 percent of participants believe the Groundhog will see its shadow.

Although the Groundhog has a strong fan base, there are still those who do not believe its weather forecasts. New Englanders are the most skeptical when it comes to the Groundhog’s weather predicting skills. Perhaps most surprising is, only 55 percent of respondents actually know the correct month and day.

The Older the Wiser?

Respondents of the survey, 55+ are more likely to believe that the Groundhog will see his shadow in 2007 and are more than twice as likely to check the forecast multiple times per day, than those 29 and under.

East Meets West!

As revealed from the survey, more Northeasterners and Midwesterners know the correct date of Groundhog Day than those in the South or West. The survey also revealed that Southerners are more likely than those from other regions to trust the reliability of weather forecasts.

What’s Your Sign?

Libras were the most likely to put their faith in the Groundhog’s prediction capabilities while Sagittarius respondents are much more likely to feel as though weather forecasting is reliable. All Aquarian respondents were the only members of the zodiac, aware of the meaning behind the Groundhog Day results.