Representative Population Survey Research Articles

Policing technology-facilitated abuse

ABSTRACT Technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) is a growing problem with serious harms and implications, yet laws and legal responses often fail to keep pace. The policing of TFA poses unique operational challenges, such as resourcing and cross-jurisdictional difficulties. But it is further challenged by a fixed belief that physical abuse is more harmful than digital forms of abuse, with reports that police do not treat TFA seriously. This article explores problems with the policing of TFA drawing on a three-stage study examining the extent, forms and impacts of TFA in Australia. The study findings are informed by a survey of workers from support and service sectors (n = 242), including domestic violence, sexual assault, health, behaviour change, legal and specialist diversity services; qualitative interviews with adult victim/survivors (n = 20) and perpetrators (n = 10) of TFA; and a subset of respondents (n = 2,325) from a nationally representative general population survey of victimisation and perpetration (n = 4,562). The study found a reluctance to report TFA to police, or in circumstances where a report was made, overwhelmingly negative experiences from doing so. It also found low levels of confidence in the policing of TFA. We argue that additional police training and resources are needed on how to recognise and understand the harms of TFA, which laws apply to TFA, and importantly, how to respond to disclosures and provide a supportive environment for the diversity of victim/survivors who experience TFA.

General and Case-Specific Approval of Coercion in Psychiatry in the Public Opinion.

Psychiatric patients are subjected to considerable stigmatization, in particular, because they are considered aggressive, uncontrollable, and dangerous. This stigmatization might influence the approval of coercive measures in psychiatry by the public and healthcare professionals and might have an influence on the clinical practice of coercive measures. We examined whether the general approval of coercive measures for psychiatric patients with dangerous behaviors differs from case-specific approval. We conducted a representative survey of the general population (n = 2207) in the canton of Basel-Stadt, Switzerland. In total, 1107 participants assessed a case vignette depicting a fictitious character with a mental illness and indicated whether they would accept coercive measures (involuntary hospitalization, involuntary medication, and seclusion) for the person in the vignette. It was explicitly stated that within the last month, the fictitious character displayed no dangerous behavior (Vignette ND) or dangerous behavior (Vignette D). Another 1100 participants were asked whether they would approve coercive measures (involuntary hospitalization, involuntary medication, and seclusion) for psychiatric patients with dangerous behavior in general (General D), i.e., without having received or referring to a specific case vignette. The logistic regression model containing all variables explained 45% of the variance in approval of any type of coercive measures. Assessment of case vignettes without dangerous behavior (Vignette ND) was associated with significantly reduced approval of coercive measures compared to assessment of a case vignette with dangerousness (Vignette D), while approval for coercive measures in a person with mental health disorder with dangerous behavior in general (General D) was significantly higher than for the case vignette with dangerousness. The general approval of coercive measures for people with mental disorders seems to differ depending on if the respondents are asked to give a general assessment or to examine a specific and detailed clinical case vignette, indicating an increased role of stigmatization when asking about generalized assessments. This may contribute to diverging findings on the acceptance of coercive measures in the literature and should be considered when designing future studies.

The Effect of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Domestic Violence in Germany: A Comparison of Three Representative Population Surveys.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound societal and economic effects. Concerns were raised that domestic violence might increase because of the enacted infection control measures. Previous findings on this issue have been contradictory. Since existing studies mainly rely on official reports, administrative data, helpline calls, or retrospective measures, their findings are likely to prove unreliable. Few population-based surveys include pre-pandemic data, limiting their ability to test for causality regarding increasing violence. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare findings from population-representative surveys on the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and violence against children (VAC) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the data of N = 3,639 individuals living with a romantic partner and N = 1,313 parents living with at least one of their children from three German representative population surveys, we estimated average marginal effects for the temporal trends (i.e., pre vs. post infection control measures) of domestic violence separately for males and females. To minimize bias across survey waves, inverse probability weighting was used. Results show no statistically significant increase in either physical or psychological forms of IPV or VAC as a result of the implementation of COVID measures. On the contrary, the 1-year prevalence was decreasing for certain forms of violence. Our findings suggest that the assessment of the consequences of infection control measures needs an empirical basis. Further research should be conducted using high-quality data sources. Therefore, the present study should be considered a stepping stone for ongoing research efforts to examine the consequences of pandemic-related infection control measures on the general population.

Association between genetic risk of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related morbidity and mortality under different alcohol policy conditions: Evidence from the Finnish alcohol price reduction of 2004.

Harmful alcohol consumption is influenced by both genetic susceptibility and the price of alcohol. Many previous studies have observed that genetic susceptibility to consumption of alcohol is more predictive in less restrictive drinking conditions. We assess whether such a pattern applies when the prices of alcoholic beverages are decreased. Data consist of genetically informed population-representative surveys (FINRISK 1992, 1997, 2002 and Health 2000) linked to administrative registers. We analysed the interaction between a polygenic score (PGS) for alcoholic drinks per week consumed and price reduction in predicting the incidence of alcohol-related hospitalizations and deaths in difference-in-difference and interrupted time-series frameworks. Individuals in Finland were followed quarter-yearly from 1 March 2000 to 31 May 2008. A total of 22 152 individuals (607 132-person quarter-years, 1399 outcome events) aged 30-79 years. A natural experiment stemming from the alcohol tax reduction in March 2004 and import deregulation in May 2004. Outcome was quarter-yearly-measured alcohol-related death or hospitalization. The independent variables of main interest were PGS and a price reform indicator. We adjusted for gender, age, age squared, season, 10 first principal components of the genome, data collection round and genotyping batch. Both alcohol price reduction and one standard deviation change in PGS were associated with alcohol-related health outcomes; odds ratios (ORs) were 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.13, 1.53 and 1.26, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.42 in the 8-year follow-up, respectively. The association between PGS and alcohol-related morbidity was similar before and after the alcohol price reform (PGS × price reform interaction OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.81, 1.14). These results were robust across different follow-up periods and measurement and analysis strategies. Although the decrease of alcohol price in Finland in 2004 substantially increased overall alcohol-related morbidity and mortality, the genetic susceptibility to alcohol consumption did not become more manifest in predicting them.

Socio-demographic indicators of self-reported health based on EQ-5D-3L: A cross-country analysis of population surveys from 18 countries.

Generic health-related quality of life instruments, such as the EQ-5D, are increasingly used by countries to monitor population health via general population health surveys. Our aim was to demonstrate analytic options to measure socio-demographic differences in self-reported health using the EuroQol Group's archive of EQ-5D-3L population surveys that accumulated over the past two decades. Analyses captured self-reported EQ-5D-3L data on over 100,000 individuals from 18 countries with nationally representative population surveys. Socio-demographic indicators employed were age, sex, educational level and income. Logistic regression odds ratios and the health concentration index methodology were used in the socio-demographic analysis of EQ-5D-3L data. Statistically significant socio-demographic differences existed in all countries (p < 0.01) with the EQ VAS based health concentration index varying from 0.090 to 0.157 across countries. Age had generally the largest contributing share, while educational level also had a consistent role in explaining lower levels of self-reported health. Further analysis in a subset of 7 countries with income data showed that, beyond educational level, income itself had an additional significant impact on self-reported health. Among the 5 dimensions of the EQ-5D-3L descriptive system, problems with usual activities and pain/discomfort had the largest contribution to the concentration of overall self-assessed health measured on the EQ VAS in most countries. The EQ-5D-3L was shown to be a powerful multi-dimensional instrument in the analyses of socio-demographic differences in self-reported health using various analytic methods. It offered a unique insight of inequalities by health dimensions.

Values and perceptions of business representatives and the public about the implementation of the principles of sustainable development by business: Results of a sociological research

We conducted a study of public perceptions of the principles of ESG and relevant issues among entrepreneurs within this paradigm. The study was carried out in the methodology of mixed methods. The first stage of the study was a representative population survey. The second stage of the study is an expert survey of entrepreneurs. The results showed that society is predominantly positive about the principles of ESG, but expects that the state or the companies themselves will be most actively involved in monitoring the implementation of the principles of ESG. Small and medium businesses are experiencing problems with the implementation of the ESG policy due to the lack of developed tools and technologies.

Perception and Knowledge of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Therapy and Diagnostics: A Population-Representative Survey

Perception and Knowledge of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Therapy and Diagnostics: A Population-Representative Survey

Developing personas to improve understanding of users’ needs in digital mobility: An experience of the DIGNITY project in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area

This paper contributes to the understanding of the end users’ needs and capabilities in digital mobility by presenting a set of personas developed using data from a population-representative survey conducted among 601 Barcelona Metropolitan Area (BMA) residents. The questionnaires were carried out within the framework of the DIGNITY project. The results show that large parts of the population cannot access digital technologies or lack the skills required to use them effectively. As a result, they are not able to take advantage of many digital mobility solutions. The personas in this paper thus present important information on the diversity of potential users, in a way that designers and other stakeholders can find inspiring. This can help them to create inclusive mobility ecosystem, that fit the users’ needs better, resulting in more people being able to use the solutions.

The Epidemiology of Long Coronavirus Disease in US Adults.

We estimated the prevalence of long COVID and impact on daily living among a representative sample of adults in the United States. We conducted a population-representative survey, 30 June-2 July 2022, of a random sample of 3042 US adults aged 18 years or older and weighted to the 2020 US population. Using questions developed by the UK's Office of National Statistics, we estimated the prevalence of long COVID, by sociodemographics, adjusting for gender and age. An estimated 7.3% (95% confidence interval: 6.1-8.5%) of all respondents reported long COVID, corresponding to approximately 18 828 696 adults. One-quarter (25.3% [18.2-32.4%]) of respondents with long COVID reported their day-to-day activities were impacted "a lot" and 28.9% had severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection more than 12 months ago. The prevalence of long COVID was higher among respondents who were female (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR]: 1.84 [1.40-2.42]), had comorbidities (aPR: 1.55 [1.19-2.00]), or were not (vs were) boosted (aPR: 1.67 [1.19-2.34]) or not vaccinated (vs boosted) (aPR: 1.41 [1.05-1.91]). We observed a high burden of long COVID, substantial variability in prevalence of SARS-CoV-2, and risk factors unique from SARS-CoV-2 risk, suggesting areas for future research. Population-based surveys are an important surveillance tool and supplement to ongoing efforts to monitor long COVID.

Skin Cancer Behavioral Risk Factors and Screening Among U.S. Adults in Same-Sex Relationships: A Population-Based Study from 2000 to 2015.

Purpose: Skin cancer is prevalent in sexual minority men but little is known about risk factors and screening specifically among couples in same-sex relationships (SSR). We aimed to compare sunburns, sun-protective behaviors, indoor tanning, and total body skin examinations (TBSEs) between people in SSR with those in opposite-sex relationships (OSR). Methods: We conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis of 2000-2015 data from the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative survey of the United States civilian population. Results: Of 102,365 adults with a spouse or married partner, 448 (0.4%) were men in SSR, 48,312 (48.1%) men in OSR, 497 (0.5%) women in SSR, and 53,108 women in OSR (51.9%). Men in SSR were more likely than men in OSR to seek shade (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07-1.85), tan indoors (aOR = 3.71; 95% CI = 2.38-5.78), and receive any TBSE (aOR = 2.45; 95% CI = 1.69-3.54) after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health insurance status, and health behaviors. Men in SSR were less likely than men in OSR to wear long pants (aOR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.46-0.85) and caps or visors (aOR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.36-0.69). No differences in sunburns, sun-protective behaviors, indoor tanning, and TBSE between women in SSR and OSR were observed after multivariable adjustment. Conclusion: Patterns of sun-protective behaviors and indoor tanning among men in SSR, compared with men in OSR, demonstrate modifiable behaviors that may mitigate skin cancer risk. Dyadic counseling and public health interventions geared toward men in SSR may promote sun-protective behaviors and reduce indoor tanning.

How has COVID-19 impacted disability employment?

BackgroundWhile the COVID-19 public health emergency has had disastrous health impacts for people with disabilities, it remains unclear what impact the associated economic recession and subsequent recovery have had on disability employment. ObjectiveWe evaluated employment trends for people with and without disabilities over the course of the COVID-19 recession and subsequent economic recovery, both overall and by occupational category (essential, non-essential, teleworkable, non-teleworkable, frontline, non-frontline). MethodsWe made use of data from the nationally representative Current Population Survey. Linear probability models were used to estimate percent changes in employment-to-population ratios and identify differences between disabled and non-disabled employment in each quarter broadly and within specific occupational categories. ResultsAs the COVID-19 recession began in Q2 2020, people with disabilities experienced employment losses that were proportionately similar to those experienced by people without disabilities. However, during the subsequent economic recovery, the employment rate of people with disabilities grew more quickly in Q4 2021 through Q2 2022, driven by increased labor force participation. These employment gains have been concentrated in teleworkable, essential, and non-frontline occupations. ConclusionOur findings suggest that people with disabilities are disproportionately benefiting from the rapid recovery from the initial economic contraction at the start of the pandemic.

Lay–Expert Risk Perception Divide: Downscaling Global Problems to National Concerns

In the modern world, risks are complex and systemic, and their effects are interconnected with the transformations in different layers of social systems. Global issues are not necessarily reflected in local contexts, and public perceptions of risks may differ significantly from expert assessments. The aim of the article is to reveal the differences between the opinions of the Lithuanian population and experts on economic, environmental, technological, geopolitical and social risks, and to compare the differences between the opinions of local experts and Lithuanian public and the assessments of experts from the Global Risk Reports. The article presents the results of a representative survey of the Lithuanian population and an online survey of municipal experts. The results of the study show that expert and population perceptions quite often coincide, especially in the case of social and economic threats. The biggest discrepancies, when the experts assessed the risks as higher than the population, were revealed in the cases of COVID-19, floods, forest fires, energy disruptions, and the mines from war legacy. Public identified higher risks than experts in the case of traffic accidents, illegal tracking of persons, illegal use of bank accounts/cards, Astravets NPP, and increase in prices. In the perception of risks of Lithuanian population and municipal experts in 2020–2021 economic and social risks dominated, and global risks with long-term effects, such as ecological or geopolitical, were not reflected in the local perceptions.

Just a “Mouthpiece of Biased Elites?” Populist Party Sympathizers and Trust in Czech Public Service Media

Existing research indicates that people with populist attitudes express lower trust in media, especially in Public Service Media. It is assumed that these people are alienated because of their values: populist ideology stems from anti-pluralism whereas Public Service Media promotes pluralism. This study tests this assumption by comparing the predictors of trust in Public Service Media between the populist party sympathizers and the sympathizers of other political parties in the Czech Republic. Two main expectations were included as predictors for trust in Public Service Media, specifically that media should conform to one's worldview (i.e., the cohesive dimension of trust in media) and that media should adhere to the normative standards of journalism (i.e., the normative dimension of trust in media). Using multigroup structural equation modeling, the study analyzes data from a 2019–2020 representative survey of the adult Czech population ( N = 3,251). The results suggest that, for the populist party sympathizers, trust in Public Service Media links only to their expectation that media should conform to their worldview, while the sympathizers of other political parties expect normative standards to be maintained. This is interpreted and discussed as support for the assumption that this value-based mismatch links to the populist audience members' lower trust in Public Service Media.

Changing seasonal temperature offers a window of opportunity for stricter climate policy

Environmental catastrophes, including the increased severity and frequency of climate extremes, can act as “windows of opportunities” that challenge citizens’ mental models and motivate them to engage in reflective processes, challenging their pre-conceived ideas. Less well understood is whether experiencing changing weather conditions, common in mid-latitudes, can have a similar effect and increase the citizens’ concerns about climate change and their willingness to accept more stringent climate policies. In this paper, we investigate the effects of changing seasonal temperature on the perceived seriousness of climate change and willingness to mitigate climate change. We use data from four yearly waves of a spatially explicit representative population survey in Germany and weather records from the postal code areas in which they live. To our knowledge, this study is the first analysis to link individual perceptions towards climate change and different mitigation options with seasonal temperature changes at specific locations in Europe. The analyzed perceptions were strongly influenced by socio-demographic characteristics and broader societal changes, as well as individual experiences of seasonal temperatures. The results show that experienced seasonal temperature change influences personal climate change concerns as well as the willingness to mitigate climate change, although with a weaker effect. The results indicate that it is the absolute temperature variation experienced that is important, rather than whether it is getting colder or warmer than usual. Considering the influences identified in this study can offer a window of opportunity for more stringent and targeted climate change policy.

Conspiracy as asurrogate for religion? Religiosity, spirituality, and affinity towards conspiracy myths in times of crisis

In times of crisis, alternative interpretations of the world that challenge the public sphere gain impact. During the COVID-19 pandemic, such narratives spread in the form of conspiracy myths. They give explanations for complex questions by assuming that social events are planned and controlled by secret elites. Moreover, they are often based on pseudo-transcendental explanations that defy scrutiny but fill fateful events with meaning. In this context, the question arises whether conspiracy myths contain religious or spiritual elements. In this study, we use arepresentative population survey conducted in April 2022 in German- and French-speaking Switzerland (n = 1221) to examine the relationship between spirituality, religiosity, and affinity toward conspiracy myths. The results show that emotional concern during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important predictor related to conspiracy affinity. The more negative the emotional concern, the higher the affinity towards conspiracy myths. Conversely, positive emotions during the pandemic negatively affect conspiracy affinity. While religious affiliations and religiosity hardly influence conspiracy affinity, spirituality turns out to be the most important predictor in our study. We conclude that in secularized societies spirituality without involvement in traditional religious communities can result in an increased openness to conspiracy myths as asurrogate for religion.

Homophobic Bullying as Gender Policing: Population-Based Evidence

Although the policing of gendered embodiment is central to ethnographic accounts of sexual minority bullying, data limitations have prevented population-level analyses of how gender expression shapes bullying victimization. Using novel data on gender expression, I document the dynamics of gender policing in contemporary American high schools. Analyzing population-representative surveys from eight states and 10 school districts, I examine how students’ assigned sex, sexual identity, and gender expression intersectionally shape their risk for bullying. Consistent with patterns of cultural sexism that stigmatize male “femininity” more harshly than female “masculinity,” I find that gender expression powerfully stratifies bullying among boys but is seemingly unrelated to bullying for girls. Boys who report feeling seen as “very feminine” are 3.5 times more likely to be bullied than their “very masculine” peers. By contrast, girls’ bullying rates are roughly constant across the gender expression spectrum. Stratifying by sexuality, I find that highly conforming gender expression offers some protection against bullying for sexual minority boys but no protection for sexual minority girls. This study illustrates the value of gradational measures of gendered embodiment and makes newly visible the powerful sanctions pressuring boys into narrow, heteronormative enactments of masculinity.

Prevalence of Hypertension, Diabetes, and Other Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Two Indigenous Municipalities in Rural Guatemala: A Population-Representative Survey.

Nearly 50% of Guatemalans are Indigenous Maya, yet few studies have examined the prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in Indigenous Maya populations. Therefore, we sought to estimate the prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors in two Indigenous Maya areas in Guatemala. We conducted, between June 2018 and October 2019, a population-representative survey of adults aged 18 years and older in two rural Indigenous Maya municipalities in Guatemala. Our primary outcomes were five modifiable CVD risk factors: diabetes, hypertension, obesity, smoking, and alcohol use. We estimated the crude and age-standardized prevalence of each outcome. We also constructed multivariable logistic regression models to assess prevalence over covariates including age, sex, education level, ethnicity, and poverty. Sampling weights adjusted for nonresponse, and appropriate survey commands were used in all analyses. The crude prevalence of diabetes was 12.5% (95% confidence Interval [CI] 9.6% to 16.1%), hypertension 20.3% (95% CI 17.1% to 23.9%), obesity 23.7% (95% CI 19.4% to 28.6%), smoking 10.7% (95% CI 7.8% to 14.5%), and high alcohol use 0.9% (95% CI 0.5% to 1.6%). Age-standardized prevalence of each outcome was similar to the crude prevalence. The prevalence of multiple CVD risk factors increased between the age groups 18-29 years and 50-59 years before decreasing among older age groups. Men had twenty-fold higher smoking prevalence than women (20.5% vs. 1.2%, respectively) and women had nearly double the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity as men (30.1% vs. 17.0%, respectively). There is a substantial prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors in rural, Indigenous populations in Guatemala, in particular hypertension, diabetes, obesity (among women), and smoking (among men). These findings can help catalyze policy and clinical investments to improve the prevention, management, and control of CVD risk factors in these historically marginalized communities.

Prevalence and clinical correlates of misophonia symptoms in the general population of Germany.

Misophonia refers to a phenomenon in which affected individuals have a selective intolerance to sounds of mostly oral or nasal origin. This intolerance is typically associated with strong emotional reactions such as anger, irritation, and disgust. The aim of this study was to conduct the first large epidemiological survey to determine the prevalence of misophonia symptoms in the adult population in Germany. We conducted a large-scale representative population survey between December 2020 and March 2021. For this purpose, a sample of 2,519 people were visited in their households and assessed with the Misophonia Questionnaire (MQ) and the Amsterdam Misophonia Questionnaire (AMISOS-R) to document misophonic symptoms. The primary estimate of clinical misophonia symptoms prevalence was based on the MQ Severity Scale and a secondary estimate was based on the AMISOS-R. The survey further included self-ratings to measure perfectionism, not-just-right experience (NJRE), autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) and general health as well as demographic data. Five percent of the sample scored equal or above the MQ Severity Scale threshold for clinical misophonia symptoms (5.9% based on AMISOS-R). Individuals with clinical misophonia symptoms had a higher rate of perfectionism, a higher occurrence of NJRE, higher susceptibility to ASMR, and a worse general health status than those scoring below the cut-off-score. All those factors also independently predicted the severity of misophonia symptoms in a multiple regression model. Misophonia is a frequent condition and should further be examined as an independent diagnostic entity.

Don't Tell Me What I Don't Want to Hear! Politicization and Ideological Conflict Explain Why Citizens Have Lower Trust in Climate Scientists and Economists Than in Other Natural Scientists

Studies suggest that citizens have higher trust in some groups of scientists than in others. However, we still know little about the causes of these trust gaps. The current study fills this knowledge gap by examining Norwegian citizens' trust in climate scientists, economists, and so‐called “less politicized natural scientists.” I argue that trust in climate scientists and economists is lower than trust in less politicized natural scientists because the former fields are politicized, while the latter are not. Politicization strengthens ideological conflicts between citizens' ideology and research produced by climate scientists and economists, which leads to lower trust in these groups of scientists. I test this argument by running regression analyses on data from a representative survey of the Norwegian population. The results support the argument: Citizens have significantly higher trust in less politicized natural scientists than in both climate scientists and economists, and these differences can be explained by ideological biases in trust. Citizens with a proeconomic growth ideology have significantly lower trust in climate scientists than in less politicized natural scientists, and citizens with a left‐wing economic ideology have significantly lower trust in economists than in less politicized natural scientists.

The Prevalence of Weather Sensitivity in Germany Derived from Population Surveys

Scientifically based data on the prevalence of weather-associated complaints and symptoms as well as impairment of well-being have been obtained from population surveys on weather sensitivity in Germany since the 1950s. This analysis focuses on the findings from the representative population survey of 2021 and relates the results to the surveys of 2013 and 2001. The “Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach”, on behalf of the German Meteorological Service, interviewed a representative sample of 1080 German citizens. Based on respondents’ self-assessment, the proportion of individuals who said the weather had an impact on their health was 46% in 2021, compared to 50% in 2013 and 54% in 2001. Elderly and chronically ill individuals are more likely to suffer from weather sensitivity than the average population. Women are more affected than men. The most common complaints of weather sensitivity are headaches/migraines, exhaustion/general fatigue, limited activities, and abnormal fatigue. The decrease in the proportion of weather-sensitive humans may be related to greater health awareness and improved health care. Preventive measures, such as going outdoors and dosed exposure of the body to different weather, as well as avoiding other stresses, can train the body’s ability to regulate itself and help to make it less susceptible to weather sensitivity.