How ready the UK says it is: the survey in 8 numbers
Published
Most of us don’t feel ready. In the government’s 2026 survey, 13% of adults said their household was largely or totally prepared, and 50% said slightly or not at all.
Here are the 8 numbers worth knowing, and what to do about each.
13% feel largely or totally prepared
That’s the same as in 2025. Half of us, 50%, say slightly or not at all. The rest are somewhere in between.
74% think there are things people can do that work
This is the good news. Most of us think getting ready is worth doing, and 69% say it matters even for emergencies that probably won’t happen.
4% have 3 days of bottled water
That’s at Be Ready’s rate of 3 litres per person per day. 82% have less than a day’s worth.
The survey also asked people whether they felt they had enough bottled water, and more said yes. It recommends the litre-based figure, because it’s a more exact test, so that’s the one we use.
Water is the biggest gap on the list, and one of the easiest to fill. Here’s how much water you need. If you’d rather not carry lots of bottles, our pick is the PowerChem 20-litre jerry cans (Ad).
23% have an FM radio that works without the mains
Not a car radio or a phone. By comparison, 54% have a power bank and 53% have a torch, so the radio is the odd one out. Here’s why the checklist says FM. Our pick is the iRonsnow wind-up and solar radio (Ad).
29% say money is what stops them
Next come not wanting things to go out of date (25%) and not knowing what to do (23%). All three have answers, and most of them are free. See getting ready on a small budget.
29% have important numbers written on paper
If your phone is flat, the numbers in it are no help. The cheapest thing on the whole list is a pen.
23% have seen any advice on preparing in the last year
That’s up from 19% in 2025. The survey ran before Be Ready launched, and the campaign is meant to change this number. Here’s Be Ready, explained.
62% think their neighbourhood would pull together
And 48% have a neighbour who might need extra support in an emergency. That second number is the one to act on.
What the survey is
The UK Public Survey of Risk Perception, Resilience and Preparedness 2026 is official statistics from the Cabinet Office, published on 19 August 2026. Savanta asked 10,791 adults across the UK, through online panels, weighted to the UK adult population, between 27 February to 11 May 2026.
These are adults’ own answers about themselves and their homes, not a count of what’s in the cupboard.
All the figures we use
| What adults said | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Household largely or totally prepared | 13% | 13% |
| Household slightly or not at all prepared | 50% | 51% |
| There are things people can do that work | 74% | 73% |
| Important to prepare even for unlikely emergencies | 69% | 69% |
| 3 days or more of bottled water | 4% | Not given |
| Under 1 day of bottled water | 82% | Not given |
| FM radio that works without the mains | 23% | Not given |
| Spare batteries | 60% | Not given |
| Torch | 53% | 55% |
| Power bank | 54% | Not given |
| £10 or more of cash per person | 60% | Not given |
| First aid kit | 63% | 57% |
| 3 days of food that needs no cooking | 60% | 66% |
| Important numbers on paper | 29% | 30% |
| A household emergency plan | 14% | 13% |
| Know how to turn off water, gas and electricity | 59% | 60% |
| Could cope for 1 day or less | 25% | 32% |
| Could cope for 2 to 3 days | 41% | 39% |
| Seen preparedness advice in the last year | 23% | 19% |
| Aware of Emergency Alerts | 74% | 63% |
| Barrier: not enough money | 29% | 27% |
| Barrier: things going out of date | 25% | Not given |
| Barrier: don't know what to do | 23% | 25% |
| Barrier: stressful to think about | 19% | Not given |
| Barrier: not enough storage space | 18% | 21% |
| Willing to volunteer if safe | 71% | Not given |
| Neighbourhood would pull together | 62% | 64% |
| A neighbour who might need extra support | 48% | 42% |
| Aware of the Priority Services Register | 44% | 43% |
For how prepared you’d be, try the calculator or the checklist.