Policy has moved. Delivery now has to reach the front door.
The UK now treats household preparedness as part of national resilience. A national baseline exists. What's missing is a way to turn advice into action, locally, and measure it.
Policy timeline
- July 2025
UK Government Resilience Action Plan
Commits to enabling the whole of society to take action on resilience.
- July 2026
National Risk Register 2026
Updated register of the risks facing the UK, now 95 risks.
- August 2026
UK Public Survey of Risk Perception, Resilience and Preparedness
A national baseline: 13% of adults say their household is largely or totally prepared.
- Later in 2026
National preparedness campaign
A national campaign encouraging households to prepare has been announced.
The evidence gap
Nobody knows locally what proportion of households could manage several days without power, water or telecoms.
The national survey shows that only 14% of people visited GOV.UK Prepare in the past year, but 74% of those who did acted on it. Advice works once it reaches people. Local distribution is the gap.
Source: Cabinet Office, UK Public Survey of Risk Perception, Resilience and Preparedness 2026.
What other countries are doing
| Sweden | Mailed its updated "If crisis or war comes" booklet to 5.2 million households in November 2024. |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | Sent a preparedness booklet to 8.5 million households. Kit ownership rose from 35% to 44%, and 42% took action. |
| Ireland | Began delivering about 2.2 million "Be Emergency Ready" booklets in September 2026. |
| Norway | Recommends households can cope on their own for a week. |
| Finland | Advises households to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. |
Booklets reach almost everyone, but most people still don't act. That's the gap PrepareNow is designed to close.