What would be your first Question......

[Tonya]

I would want to ask about the pets first. But I'd bite my tongue and ask how they were doing first.

[Uabassoon]

I would ask how they were first, then the pets.

[AmberLee]

When I read the poll, I interpreted it as 1) how are the pets, 2) how are the pets doing, 3) how is the house, and 4) hows the weather... And as 1 seemed more informative than 2, I voted 1. Sorry, should have read the question more carefully. (But it does show a Pet Talk bias, I think. )

[Fox-Gal]

Thanks for your responses everyone. I think she going to be happy with the info.

If anyone is interested in how this all has worked out between "studies" here's how it's gone so far.

The other forums, People and house where the top two answers with pets coming in third.

Here of course it was people and pets....no one asking about the house.

Now she also did a real live situation, with hurricane victim's here and with friends of victim's.
This is where it changes, a lot. Most people she talked to said, the first question was "how's the house?, Second most asked question was about the Pet. People came in thrid!

When she asked them later why they didn't ask about the people first, she told me most said that they figured if the people involved where killed or hurt they would have been told that right off. So sense they where not killed, hurt, they must be OK. As if the only way to not be OK after being effected by such a event is to 1: be dead 2: be hurt. Never considering the emotional effect as not being OK.

I am very proud of her for doing this project and her reasons for started this. It came out of her own anger/disappointment of how people responed to her familys suffering after this last hurricane. How she decided to handle her disappointment in people was to turn it into a learning experience. She was very upset that no one ask if her aunt was OK, or her family, they only seem concerned about the pets and home. She said very few asked "How are you?" or "How are they doing?"

But when asking people what they belived they ask about, the people was first, on the list. everything else second. But, from her experience, her father's and even from my experience, in real life we where last on the list of concerns.

What she got out of it was people want to belive and honestly think that people would be their first concern, but when it comes down to real life time, their first thoughts are of home and animals. Kind of like a car wreck, first question is "how's the car?" "Was it totaled?" then "hows the driver?"

I just thought this was interesting and thought I'd share her findings. She better get a A on this one.

[pitc9]

I voted how are they doing, as in how are they ALL doing, meaning the people and the animals.

[tatsxxx11]

Voted "How are they..." meaning everyone living in the home, pets included