National Survey of Disaster Experiences and Preparedness (NSDEP), 2007-2008

Abstract

A national survey was conducted to study people’s experiences with, preparedness and mitigation actions for, and perceptions related to terrorism and other disasters. Telephone interviews were completed on a statistically representative sample of 3,300 households between April 13, 2007 and February 13, 2008. Major metropolitan areas considered to be “high visibility areas” at high risk of terrorism, namely Washington, D.C. (DC), New York (NY), and Los Angeles (LA), were sufficiently oversampled to allow comparisons with the rest of the continental U.S., which are considered to be at low risk of terrorism. The interviews were offered in English and Spanish, and a $20 incentive was offered to encourage participation in the study. Interviews were completed with a total of 3,300 households (with an adult respondent over age 18) for a response rate of 35%. The study attempted to answer these questions: • How prepared Americans are for a terrorist attack or other disaster; • Who is and who isn’t getting the message about getting prepared; • How we can improve our educational messages about preparedness; • What we can do to maximize the impact of education and information on behavior; and • How we can increase the engagement of the general public in preparing for disasters