Barely more than a third of British people believe the UK government would support them to recover and rebuild after a crisis, according to a survey from community research organisation the Young Foundation.
The exercise also found a majority of respondents were sceptical about government’s likely transparency over its actions during a crisis.
The figures follow the Cabinet Office’s publication of the UK Government Resilience Action Plan earlier this month, although the research was conducted in April.
According to the Young Foundation, just 36% of survey respondents said they would expect to receive government support following a crisis such as a flood, fire or terrorist attack. It described such a level of public confidence as “low”.
Fifty-two percent of respondents reported that they would not trust government to be transparent about what it is doing in a crisis.
The survey of 2,000 adults found 43% were worried about their own levels of crisis-preparedness, contrasting with a slightly lower proportion (42%) stating that they know where to find effective crisis advice.
Just over half of respondents said they would benefit from training or guidance on how to handle a crisis; 70% said it was important to have a plan for future crises.
Young Foundation chief executive Helen Goulden said the UK population is underprepared for crises and many people feel under-supported by government.
“Recent history shows us that – in the face of pandemics, fires and floods – it's civil society that carries the heaviest burden in crisis response and recovery,” she said. “Sadly, despite that, it is also civil society that receives the least recognition and investment.
“This new data shows that we must invest in grassroots resilience, working to rebuild public confidence through transparent and coordinated action.”
Goulden said it was “heartening” that the Resilience Action Plan recognises the need for much wider partnership between government, and the voluntary, community and faith sectors.
But she said that the continued reliance on www.gov.uk/prepare as the primary tool for household preparedness highlighted a “persistent gap between awareness and action” on the part of government.
“Bridging that gap requires more proactive, community-based support from Local Resilience Forums and the voluntary sector,” she said. “In this area there is real potential for innovation and opportunities to find new ways of reaching those for whom crisis preparedness is just not a primary concern.
“Additionally, the top-down approach to resilience exercises needs to shift towards grassroots-led initiatives. Identifying, supporting, and learning from community-led exercising efforts would be an invaluable next step, and we hope the government is open to listening and working with communities to drive real change forward.”
Among its proposals, the Young Foundation is calling for the production of better evidence and data on resilience, including the creation of an annual “national preparedness index”as a focus for the design of contingency plans and activities.
A government spokesperson said: “We are closing the gaps in our defences and working together to make the country more resilient as part of our Plan for Change.
“The Resilience Action Plan sets out the steps we’re taking to keep the country safe – from investing £4.2bn in flood defences, to raising awareness of lifesaving advice on www.gov.uk/prepare, and testing the emergency alerts system across the country on 7th September.”
The www.gov.uk/prepare page also includes simple and effective steps people can take to be more prepared for emergencies.
This story was updated at 15:30 on 25 July 2025 to include a government response