Most Sacramento residents are unwilling to pay higher taxes for better flood protection and remain unprepared for a possible flood, according to a study released Friday by California State University, Sacramento.

The study comes at a time when flood control experts and local politicians are asking property owners in the Sacramento area to support a tax that would help pay for flood control improvements.

Voters are currently deciding on the plan through a mail-in ballot.

Information from the 2007 Sacramento State Annual Survey of the Region shows that if an election was held today, 62 percent of households in the region would vote against paying a higher property tax for flood control, while 31 percent would vote in favor.

Even families who live in the flood-prone areas were reluctant to pay, with only 47 percent willing to vote for such a tax.