CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.- (CLARKSVILLENOW) A recent survey, conducted on behalf of the Red Cross, revealed a troubling disconnect between the public’s perception of blood donations and the realities of patient transfusion needs.

• Three-quarters (74 percent) of the public underestimate how frequently blood transfusions occur. Most people perceive blood is needed in the U.S. every 15 minutes or even every hour or two hours when in fact, every two seconds, someone in this country needs blood.

• Nearly half of the public (45 percent) know someone who has been helped by a blood transfusion. Yet only three percent of the U.S. population donates each year.

• More than one-third (35 percent) of the public has never considered that blood may not be available when they or a loved one need it. Blood shortages are not uncommon in the United States and can only be prevented when more people roll up a sleeve to give.

• More than half (53 percent) of the public believe they need to know their blood type to donate. Good news, potential blood donors do not need to know their blood type before giving blood. After individuals give blood, the Red Cross provides each donor their blood type.

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About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

Supplemental Information about Survey Methodology

*These are the findings from an Ipsos poll conducted April 16-18, 2018, on behalf of the Red Cross. For the survey, a sample of 503 adults ages 18 and over from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii was interviewed online, in English. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of ±5.0 percentage points for all respondents surveyed.