Kansalaisten omatoiminen varautuminen ja kriisinkestävyys 2023

The eighth survey on the Finnish citizen’s emergency preparedness and crisis resilience in 2023, carried out by the Finnish National Rescue Association, indicates that the level of preparedness for disruptions and emergencies has stayed relatively stable during the 2020’s, despite a slight decrease. 35 percent of the respondents estimate their preparedness as fairly good or very good. The citizens are best prepared for fires, domestic accidents and cybercrime, but preparedness for radiation accidents, flooding and storms is very low.
Even though over half of the respondents consider themselves at least moderately prepared for power cuts and water supply cuts, water and electricity are the most necessary resources for households. As much as 60 percent of the citizens would not survive longer than two days without running water and over 40 percent would not survive without electricity. The citizens manage the longest without pharmacy services, public transport and their own car.
44 percent of the citizens have seen preparedness-related information and 22 percent of the citizens have searched for information themselves. The most popular channels for spreading information are internet, television and magazines. Older people are more likely to have seen information of preparedness, but 18–34-year-olds have searched for information more frequently.
The results show that the age, adequacy of income, place of residence, type of housing and the war in Ukraine and last winter’s energy crisis are significant variables for the citizens’ emergency preparedness and crisis resilience. The respondents, that were poorly prepared for disruptions, indicated most often that they had not considered preparedness or the topic does not interest them. Some were not sure what to do to be prepared, and many of the respondents trust the society function sufficiently during an incident.
The Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s attack war on Ukraine, energy crisis and global inflation are considerable factors for the citizens’ and the society’s crisis preparedness. In addition, due to climate change, disruptions caused by extreme weather events will intensify. Citizen’s emergency preparedness for the multiplier effect of various incidents and disruptions should be strengthened. Our society must ensure that everyone prepares for disruptions and emergencies in the best possible way within the limits of their personal resources. In this way, the authorities will be able to help the most distressed people and safeguard the critical functioning of the society.