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Awareness is high, but preparedness is lagging

Almost three quarters (74%) of people had heard of the Be Ready campaign just one week after its launch. However, far fewer had taken practical steps to prepare:

• 13% have bought or set aside supplies.

• 28% have heard of the campaign and intend to prepare.

• 25% have heard of it but have no plans to take action.

• 9% already had supplies before engaging with the campaign.

Overall, just over one in five (21%) are classified as prepared when those who have bought or set aside supplies are considered alongside those who already had them.

This points to a clear gap between awareness and action. Reaching people with information is an important first step, but encouraging them to translate that awareness into practical preparation remains a challenge.

For organisations responsible for essential services, this distinction matters. Understanding whether customers know about potential risks is not the same as understanding whether they are equipped to manage them.

Different generations have different approaches to resilience

Our findings reveal some interesting differences between generations.

Over-65s are the most likely to have heard of Be Ready, with 83% aware of the campaign. Awareness among other age groups is relatively consistent, at around 70%.

Older people are also more likely to have already had emergency provisions in place, with 14% of over-65s reporting that they already had supplies, compared with just 5% of 18–34-year-olds.

However, it is not simply older people who are taking action. Those aged 25–34 and 35–44 are the most likely to have already proactively bought or set aside supplies in response to the campaign, at 19% and 17% respectively.

This suggests that awareness and preparedness can look different across generations. Older people may be more likely to have existing provisions, while younger and middle-aged adults appear more likely to be taking new steps in response to the campaign.

For organisations communicating with customers, this reinforces the importance of understanding the different starting points, motivations and behaviours of different age groups.

83%

of over-65s have head of the Be Ready campaign (compared with total average of 74%)

51%

of 25-34 year olds have already / intend to set aside emergency supplies

A regional divide in awareness and preparedness

Awareness is lower across the North of England (North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber), where 32% of people had not heard of the campaign. This compares with just 17% in London and the South East.

There are also differences in people's intentions and existing preparedness:

London and the South East: 50% had heard of Be Ready and either intended to prepare or had already taken steps.
The North: 36% fell into this category.
Scotland: 37% fell into this category.

However, these differences do not simply reflect the proportion of people who already have emergency provisions. Existing emergency supplies were reported by 12% of respondents in London and the South East, 6% in the North and 12% in Scotland.

This suggests that regional differences extend beyond existing household preparations and may also reflect differences in campaign reach, engagement and willingness to take action.

For organisations operating across different regions, these findings highlight the importance of looking beyond national averages. A campaign or customer engagement approach that works well in one part of the country may not have the same reach or impact elsewhere.

Housing circumstances also influence preparedness

There are further differences when we look at awareness and preparedness by housing tenure.

Private renters were the least likely to have heard of Be Ready, with 63% aware of the campaign, compared with 77% of homeowners and 78% of social renters.

Social renters showed a different pattern. While awareness was relatively high, almost a third (31%) had heard of the campaign but had no plans to take action. This was the highest proportion of any housing group.

Overall preparedness was relatively similar across the three groups: 24% of homeowners, 20% of private renters and 20% of social renters.

These differences highlight why it is important to look beyond national averages. Housing circumstances can influence people's ability, opportunity and motivation to prepare for emergencies. A message that resonates with a homeowner may not be as relevant or practical for someone living in rented accommodation.

Preparedness could open the door to further resilience measures

We also explored the appeal of plug-in solar and battery systems for backup power, finding an interesting relationship between interest in these technologies and engagement with Be Ready.

Interest in having a battery for backup power increases with engagement in Be Ready:

32% of people who had not heard of the campaign were interested in having a backup battery.
This rises to 44% among those who had heard of the campaign but had no plans to act.
50% of those intending to prepare were interested.
58% of those who had bought or set aside supplies were interested.

Those who were already prepared were also more likely to be very interested in a solar kit with a battery (44%, compared with 26% of those who were not prepared).

This suggests that people who have already started thinking about emergency preparedness may be more receptive to additional measures that help them maintain essential services during disruption.

We will be exploring these findings further in a future release.

What does this mean for your organisation?

Emergency preparedness should be considered alongside wider conversations about customer vulnerability, climate resilience and the reliability of essential services.

Our findings highlight several considerations:

Awareness is only the starting point. Organisations need to understand whether customers are taking practical steps to prepare, not simply whether they have received or recognised a message.
Resilience strategies need to reflect different customer circumstances. Age, housing tenure and access to support can all influence how people prepare and respond to disruption.
Regional insight matters. National averages can mask significant differences in awareness and preparedness, making locally tailored engagement particularly important.
Resilience is an evolving customer consideration. Growing interest in backup batteries and solar technology suggests customers may be thinking differently about how they maintain essential services during disruption.

Understanding how different groups think about and prepare for emergencies can help organisations develop more targeted engagement, identify gaps in resilience and ensure future business plans reflect the needs of the customers they serve.

Understanding the wider picture: personal and community resilience

Our October findings build on our July 2026 research into public attitudes towards heatwaves, which explored how people expect to respond to periods of extreme heat and where they would turn for support.

Clarity on... Heat

That research also revealed differences between generations. Two in five (41%) of 18–34-year-olds said they would rely on family, friends, neighbours or a public cool space during a heatwave, compared with just 25% of over-55s. Conversely, 69% of over-55s expected to cope at home alone.

We also found that people concerned about the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable neighbours were more likely to rely on community support themselves (42%, compared with 27% of those who were not concerned).

Taken together, the findings raise interesting questions about how personal preparedness and community resilience interact, and whether messages focused on looking out for others could encourage wider engagement with emergency preparedness.

About this research

These findings are based on a nationally representative survey of 500 Britons conducted in October 2026, shortly after the Government's Be Ready campaign launched on 22 October 2026.

We will continue to publish insights from our polling programme, exploring public attitudes towards a range of issues. Our next poll follows on from these findings and explores views on about plug-in solar.

We can also provide further breakdowns of the findings by region, age, gender and housing type, helping organisations understand what the results could mean for their own customer base.

Delivered in partnership with

Want to explore what these findings mean for your organisation? Get in touch to discuss the research, request a more detailed breakdown or explore working with us on future polling. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or sign up to our newsletter to receive future insights.

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