STORY:
New poll says Americans planning for Y2K glitches

Nearly half of Americans surveyed in a new poll said they would avoid traveling by plane on or around January 1, 2000, when experts fear air traffic control could be snarled by major computer failures. The poll was conducted by the Gallup organization for the National Science Foundation and USA Today.

Nearly two-thirds of the 1,032 adults polled said they planned to seek extra confirmation of their bank accounts, retirement funds or other financial records after the start of the new millennium. Despite their concerns, 55 percent said they believed the so-called "millennium bug" would cause only minor problems.

Forty-six percent of those surveyed by Gallup Dec. 9-13 1998 said they expected some air traffic control systems to fail; and nearly two-thirds said banking and accounting systems would fail, possibly causing errors in employee paychecks, government payments or other automated financial transactions.

Forty-nine percent said they plan to take steps to make sure their personal computers are programmed correctly, but an equal number said they would wait and see what happened.

Eighty-two percent said they were confident that U.S. corporations and large businesses will have upgraded their computer systems to correct "Y2K" problems.

Despite media reports about people preparing for food delivery or water systems to fail, 72 percent of those polled said they had no plans to stockpile food or water; while over 80 percent said they did not plan to buy generators or wood stoves.

DATE: 1/6/99

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