How prepared are you for an emergency?

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

IF YOU HAD JUST FIVE MINUTES TO GRAB YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSIONS AND EVACUATE YOUR HOME, WHAT WOULD YOU TAKE WITH YOU?

NEW RESEARCH REVEALS THAT AMERICANS ARE MORE LIKELY TO GRAB THEIR CELL PHONE THAN THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD DURING AN EMERGENCY..

THAT’S ACCORDING TO A SURVEY OF 2,000 AMERICANS, WHICH FOUND THAT GEN Z-ERS IN PARTICULAR WILL GRAB THEIR LAPTOP (35 PERCENT) OR A PAIR OF SHOES (35 PERCENT) OVER PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS (30 PERCENT).

GEN X-ERS WOULD SOONER TAKE FAMILY PHOTO ALBUMS (43 PERCENT) THAN CLOTHING (33 PERCENT) AND BABY BOOMERS ARE TAKING JEWELRY, SUCH AS WEDDING BANDS, OVER BOTH WATER (21 PERCENT) AND FOOD (17 PERCENT)

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH ON BEHALF OF MASTER LOCK, RESULTS FOUND THAT THESE CHOICES, 65 PERCENT OF ALL AMERICANS SAY THAT THEY TAKE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MORE SERIOUSLY TODAY THAN THEY DID FIVE YEARS AGO.

THIS NEWFOUND PREPAREDNESS STEMS FROM AN OVERALL INCREASE IN NATURAL DISASTERS (48 PERCENT) AS WELL AS HAVING BOTH A FAMILY (47 PERCENT) AND PETS (36 PERCENT) TO WORRY ABOUT.

WHAT THINGS WOULD AMERICANS GRAB IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY?

• Cell phone - 74%
• Wallet/purse - 63%
• Birth certificate/passport/other documents - 62%
• Social security card - 56%
• Prescription medications - 43%
• Family photo albums - 41%
• Clothing - 40%
• Laptop - 31%
• Shoes - 30%
• Water - 25%
• Food/snacks - 25%
• My own jewelry (engagement rings, wedding bands, etc.) - 24%
• Over-the-counter medications (pain relievers, antacids, etc.) - 19%
• Toiletries - 17%
• Heirloom jewelry - 13%
• Gaming system - 10%

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans split evenly by generation (500 Gen Z, 500 millennials 500 Gen X and 500 baby boomers); the survey was commissioned by Master Lock and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between August 15 and August 21, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.