Farewell to fireworks? Survey shows majority of Floridians want restrictions, possible ban

Fourth of July fireworks will soon be bursting in air, but a new survey shows a majority of Floridians want the boom brought down a bit, with a plurality preferring a full fireworks ban.

The survey was conducted by Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab (PolCom Lab) and Mainstreet Research USA. Pollsters asked registered voters, “Would you support stricter regulations or bans on the sale and use of consumer fireworks in your area to reduce the noise and the stress they cause for people and pets?”

The results show 27% want an outright ban on fireworks, while another 27% would prefer time-based restrictions rather than a full ban. Only 5% felt fireworks should have no restrictions.

Robert E. Gutsche Jr., associate professor in digital cultures and strategy lead for the PolCom Lab, acknowledged the concerns expressed by a majority of respondents, but predicted that a full ban is unlikely.

“Fireworks are a long-standing tradition for celebrations across the world, but here in the U.S. they are ubiquitous to American patriotism,” Gutsche said.

“Walking around neighborhoods and across communities during Fourth of July, there is always some feeling or discussion of apprehension about fireworks and their possible effects on animals and children, for example. I’m not sure that means society is ready to ban them, though.”

The poll’s findings also saw a partisan split, with 63% of Democrats favor a ban or restrictions for fireworks in neighborhoods. Nearly a third of Republicans, meanwhile, want no restrictions.

According to FAU and Mainstreet USA, the survey was conducted June 29-30 in English and Spanish. “Since the poll was partially completed online, a margin of error cannot be assigned to the poll, but a poll of this size would have a margin of error of +/- (3.2 percentage points) at the 95% confidence level,” the polling memo added.