Brits are bracing for disaster with half expecting long power cuts in the next two years – and a fifth saying war is likely.
The extent of public concern has been laid bare in government research, with the overwhelming majority worried the threat to the country is rising on a variety of fronts.
There are also doubts about readiness for crises, with 51 per cent saying the UK was ‘not at all’ or only ‘slightly’ prepared.
Nearly three-quarters were not confident that if power and water were lost their household could last out more than three days without outside help and supplies.
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Extreme cold weather is one of the emergencies Brits expect to face in the next two years
There were doubts about readiness for crises, with 51 per cent saying the UK was ‘not at all’ or only ‘slightly’ prepared
Nearly three-quarters were not confident their household could last out more than three days without outside help and supplies
Some 51 per cent admitted making no basic preparations in the past 12 months, such as having conversations with family about what they would do in case of an emergency
Two thirds expect the number of emergencies to increase at little or a lot over the next decade
More than 10,000 people took part in the Risk Perception, Resilience and Preparedness Survey, with the results weighted to represent the wider population. It was commissioned by the Cabinet Office and Department for Environment.
Two thirds expect the number of emergencies to increase at little or a lot over the next decade.
Some 55 per cent thought that it was ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ that a storm severe enough to cause major disruption would affect their area in the next two years.
Extreme cold weather was anticipated by 48 per cent over the same period, while 42 per cent thought a heatwave would cause trouble.
A power cut that lasts for more than 12 hours was considered likely by 47 per cent – and 39 per cent said the same thing about a cyber attack that affected critical infrastructure. A water outage lasting for over 12 hours was anticipated by 35 per cent.
War was seen as ‘likely’ in the next two years by 14 per cent, amid rising tensions with states such as Russia and China. A further 6 per cent said it was ‘very likely’.
That was roughly the same level as fear about terrorist attacks and wildfire in local areas.
A third thought another human pandemic was on the cards, and a similar proportion said it was likely they would need to be evacuated due to flooding.
Flooding was one of the issues cited in the government research
Major power cuts such as those that hit Spain earlier this year are a big concern for Brits
War was seen as ‘likely’ in the next two years by 14 per cent, amid rising tensions with states such as Vladimir Putin’s Russia. A further 6 per cent said it was ‘very likely’
Rioting and looting was mentioned as ‘likely’ by a quarter – amid warnings that the country is facing a repeat of last summer’s unrest in the coming weeks.
Despite the high level of concern about potential disasters, there was not a strong sense that the country was in a resilient position.
Just 15 per cent thought the UK was ‘totally’ or ‘largely’ prepared for what could come, according to the research carried out between March and April.
Some 51 per cent admitted they had made no basic preparations in the past year, such as having conversations with family about what they would do in case of an emergency.
In case of power, gas and water being shut off 14 per cent thought they would last less than a day without outside help and supplies. Just 8 per cent were confident they could last a week or more.
Brits rated war, a human pandemic and terrorist attack as the disasters that would affect their local areas most
A Government spokesman said: ‘This survey will inform our work with households, communities and first responders to keep the country safe.
‘Last month we published a Resilience Action Plan, that sets out all the steps we’re taking to build resilience, from investing £4.2billion in flood defences, to raising awareness of lifesaving advice on GOV.UK/PREPARE, and testing the emergency alerts system across the country on September 7 2025.’
