More and more young Americans are preparing for the next presidential election due to fears of societal collapse or a failed response to natural disasters, a survey shows.
Gen-Z, adults born after 1997, are the most likely to be preparing for disaster, with as many as 40 percent claiming to have spent money on doomsday stocks in the past year. Finder Survey.
The survey of 2,179 American adults was conducted from January 9 to February 17 and has a margin of error of two percent. Finder – which has been collecting preparedness data since 2017 – asked people if they had spent money on emergency preparedness in the past 12 months.
Across all generations, food and water were the most purchased prep item, and 20 percent of Gen-Z preppers purchased toilet paper. According to the latest survey, 29 percent of Americans spent money on getting ready, up from about 25 percent who did so in 2017.
Many doomsday preppers said they are taking precautions ahead of the 2024 election because they fear it will lead to civil unrest, while others fear the government will botch its response to the next major natural disaster.
Brekke Wagoner of North Carolina is among the younger, more liberal people now preparing for a possible future disaster that they fear could trigger societal collapse
Many doomsday preppers said they are taking precautions ahead of the 2024 election because they fear it will lead to civil unrest. Police are seen during a Black Lives Matter riot in Portland, Oregon, in September 2020
New Orleans' Superdome is pictured in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The number of Gen-Z preppers has grown, with many saying they fear a botched government response to a similar future disaster.
Sustainable Preparedness content creator Brekke Wagoner said: 'Basically our weather is going to intensify because of global climate change, if for no other reason you should have a contingency plan to deal with these bleak disasters because they are coming, whether we now they want it or not.'
Wagoner said USA today“The intensification of our natural storm seasons is the most important thing that will happen to you. An electromagnetic pulse can occur that shuts down the electricity grid. A nuclear war could arise. A civil war could ensue. But there will be a storm.”
In September, data showed that a record 23 climate events causing 253 deaths would cost the United States $57.6 billion in 2023.
Along with the wildfires in Idalia and Hawaii, the 23 devastating events included 18 severe storms in several states – including tornadoes, high winds and hail storms – two major floods and one winter snowstorm.
a Poll from USA Today and Suffolk University of 1,000 registered voters, conducted between October 17 and 30, found that 32 percent of Americans said the world is facing bigger challenges than usual.
Another 35 percent said the world was in the most unsettled state of their lives.
“On the left you have people who are afraid that (Trump) will declare himself dictator of the United States and people on the left will end up being targeted in some kind of authoritarian system,” said preparation expert Brad Garrett.
'On the right there is general malaise and fear that society is falling apart. They point to these robberies, riots and protests.”
Some people fear that a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden will result in riots similar to those that broke out in US cities in the summer of 2020 after the killing of George Floyd.
'We have an authoritarian streak on the right, and preparation plays a role in that. Without a doubt, they are prepared for violence,” he said.
'But you also see an increase in militancy on the left. I see a lot of liberal preppers buying guns and saying they waited too long. It's an unfortunate arms race that I think we'll see escalate as we get closer to the election, especially when it comes to Trump versus Biden.”
A doomsday prep who built a bunker has revealed how she spent $75,000 to prepare for a nuclear disaster amid ongoing wars around the world and the rising cost of living.
The traditional image of preppers as rural, conservative men holed up in bunkers like this one in the Black Hills of South Dakota has changed in recent years.
Companies that specialize in making prep kits have also seen increased sales and popularity over the years
The image of what a disaster preparer looks like has changed over the years since the COVID-19 pandemic caused toilet paper to fly off the shelves.
Doomsday preparer Rowan Mackenzie, 38, built her own bunker and spent $75,000 stocking it with supplies to prepare for a nuclear disaster amid ongoing wars around the world and the rising costs of the living crisis.
Mackenzie claimed that most of her stock lasts up to 25 years and that she has a 'flawless' rotation system to ensure there is no waste.
With the recent outbreak of war in Israel and Palestine, as well as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the mother of three noted that it is as important as ever to prepare for any scenario.
Companies that specialize in making prep kits have also seen increased sales and popularity over the years.