2020 National Household [Preparedness] Survey

Matt Black - June 28, 2021

I stumbled across this while grabbing some CERT training materials. Not new, but interesting data about the changes in US preparedness culture. Given that this was written back in September of 2020, I’m interested to see how much this data may have changed in the wake of the intervening 3-6 months of the pandemic and vaccination efforts.

• Overall, the estimated number of preparedness actions taken has increased from 2019.
  68% of NHS respondents have taken 3 or more of the 6 basic preparedness actions; an increase of 6% from 2019.
  For the second year in a row, the percentage of people reporting four of the six basic actions increased.
  The number of people who indicated that they talked to others about getting prepared increased from 45% to 48%.
  The number of people who indicated they participated in an emergency drill increased from 49% to 56%.
  NHS data shows that, when individuals indicate that they’ve taken one preparedness action, we can expect that they will take additional preparedness actions.
  NHS data shows that preparedness actions can vary by stage of preparedness, hazard areas, and even demographics. As such, customizing preparedness messaging based on these factors will likely result in more effective messaging.

2020 NHS Data Digest: Summary Results

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Good morning Matt,

Yes, the stats are correct and getting better.  The “call 9-1-1” culture is fading from our national scene.  Here, it surely helped those relying on flood insurance to get their undivided attention when rate increases – and availability – became a personal matter !

Glad to learn you’re getting into CERT.  I used to be active in program, both as a responder and instructor.

Keep up the preparedness.