Why Aren’t More People Preppers?
Dr. John Woods 08.26.19
It’s seems odd to me that, given the times in which we live, the general population is still no more prepared today for a disaster or SHTF event than ever. Despite knowledge and experience with multiple types of disasters over the years, the average citizen is still not ready for any type of catastrophic event. That is surely a sad state of affairs.
While most preppers are ever-watchful about news of pending disasters, storms, wildfires, and even civil unrest, the typical person on the street or at the mall has no idea whatsoever. This is why so many people get caught with their proverbial “pants down” wondering what happened.
How bad exactly is this general lack of preparedness in the USA? A recent survey conducted by MSN news provided some interesting insights. When asked how prepared they were for a disaster, the respondents replied that only 9% were very prepared, 46% were a little prepared, 40% were not prepared at all and 5% did not even have an opinion, thus unprepared as well. Basically 91% were not really prepared for any type of disaster event.
Question two was “Does your family have an emergency kit?” A whopping 66% said no with 32% replying yes, and 2% did not know. I mean first, how could you not know? So, two-thirds of those polled have no type of emergency kit packed and ready to go. Are these the people who will be knocking at your door for help, or threatening you for your supplies?
The next poll question was “Do you have a plan if a disaster forces you to leave your home?” A staggering 72% said they have no such plan. Some 26% indicated that they did have a plan in place for evacuating their home. The “don’t knows” included 2%. I wonder if this implies that only about 26% of these polled individuals would consider themselves a prepper.
There was no indication about the number of people polled for this survey. Likewise there is no way to estimate the statistical significance of such a survey or even the statistical margins of error. Despite that lack of information, the results are nevertheless revealing. Basically if the survey is an honest representation of Americans, clearly the majority are not prepared for any type of disaster.
So, what does this say for those of us trying to be prepared? In a sense it is scary to know so many people are unprepared, because those people could be a huge threat to we who are preparing. It also tells preppers to continue their plans in earnest.
