Investigating the role of societal resilience in emergencies and resilience preparedness

Defra wishes to investigate individual and household behaviours within different population groups relating to preparedness.

Defra is interest in the general population however specific focus should also be given to vulnerable individuals and some focus to dependant companion animals (see definition above).

Specific types of vulnerabilities include: • The older people • People with young children • Individuals with chronic health conditions (physical or mental) or disability • Adults with low income/unemployed • Those with limited literacy or who do not speak English as a first language Further population breakdowns of interest include rural/urban populations due to the difference in the required levels of preparedness for individuals in different areas.

The key research questions for this project are: 1.

What are the barriers to individuals and households being prepared for emergencies? o What does the existing research say and what are the evidence gaps that need to be filled? o What are the specific barriers to preparedness for vulnerable individuals and in relation to companion animals?

2.

What are the factors that enable individuals to improve their preparedness? o What are the different types of factors that improve preparedness? o How does the relevance of these factors vary by different population groups, including those relevant to vulnerable individuals and in relation to companion animals and livestock? o What is the effectiveness of different household interventions for individuals and households to be prepared? o Have any existing interventions been trialled and proved to be effective? o What could an effective intervention to improve individual and household resilience be?