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Citizen Preparedness Research

The National Office of Citizen Corps, FEMA, and DHS sponsor research projects to better understand the public's emergency preparedness and response activities. Below are several of the report findings.

Citizen Corps Survey Findings

FEMA’s Citizen Corps Surveys offer a comprehensive source of data on the public’s thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors related to preparedness and community safety for multiple hazard types. Survey questions addressed several critical areas in the field of disaster preparedness research including elements of personal preparedness such as stocked supplies, plans, knowledge of community protocols, and training; elicited insights on barriers and motivators to preparedness; and tested social-behavior modeling on disaster preparedness, the Citizen Corps PDP Model.

Personal Preparedness In America: Findings From the 2009 Citizen Corps National Survey (Aug 2009)

Findings from this study have important implications for the development of more effective communication and outreach strategies to achieve greater levels of community preparedness, such as the relationship between risk perceptions and motivation to prepare, knowledge of emergency community preparedness procedures and resources, expectation of emergency responders, and how socio-economic factors affect preparedness. The report also identifies areas for further research.

Citizen Preparedness Reviews

Citizen Preparedness Reviews (CPR) are published periodically by FEMA to summarize research findings in the field of disaster preparedness and to support local efforts to achieve greater community resilience. A summary of each CPR is provided below with a link to the full document or you may order a copy of CPR's (1-5) through the FEMA Distribution Center by calling 1-800-480-2520.

CPR Issue 5: Update on Citizen Preparedness Research (Fall 2007)

CPR Issue 5 provides an update on citizen disaster preparedness research conducted since spring 2006. Since that time, several key studies have been released that allow us to understand how Americans. perspective disaster preparedness have or have not changed.

CPR Issue 4: Citizen Corps Personal Behavior Change Model for Disaster Preparedness (Fall 2006)

CPR Issue 4 introduces a model to describe segments of the population based on their perceptions of threat and efficacy relative to disaster preparedness. For each audience segment the model provides associated areas of focus for outreach and social marketing designed to target specific barriers and motivations. This model can be used to help make audience research and outreach efforts more effective in order to develop a sustained culture of preparedness.

CPR Issue 3: Patterns in Current Research and Future Research Opportunities (Summer 2006)

CPR Issue 3 examines patterns in citizen preparedness research to date and identifies opportunities to fill existing gaps to develop more effective citizen preparedness initiatives in the future. Future research should:

CPR Issue 2: A Post-Katrina Assessment (Spring 2006)

While there had been significant developments in the realm of preparedness research prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, these tragic events have resulted in an even greater emphasis on preparedness research. The five national surveys identified in CPR Issue 2 can be used to determine how these recent disasters may have impacted Americans’ perspectives and actions toward preparedness.

CPR Issue 1: Methodological Considerations and Key Findings in Preparedness Research (Summer 2005)

CPR Issue 1 explains the methodology used to develop the Citizen Preparedness Review database of research surveys and a general review of the research environment, including a typology of the research that has been conducted. This report discusses some of the relevant findings and trends in data and examines why results from similar surveys are often divergent.

Citizen Preparedness Surveys Database

The Citizen Preparedness Surveys Database is a compilation of research conducted since September 11, 2001 on personal and business preparedness. This database is used to assess trends in research and trends in preparedness throughout the nation. If you are aware of relevant survey that is not included in this database, please contact citizencorps@dhs.gov.

Public Readiness Index

The Council for Excellence in Government has created a Public Readiness Index (PRI) to help individuals, families and communities measure their Readiness Quotient (RQ). Find out how other Americans measured up and check your own RQ.