The American Housing Survey, conducted by the Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, assesses the extent to which residents are prepared for these events. Survey questions asked householders, among other items, whether they had prepared an emergency kit, water, non-perishable food, communication plan and meeting location.
https://www.ready.gov/personal-preparedness-survey-2009-findings
Results from the national survey indicate that 29 percent of Americans have not prepared because they think that emergency responders will help them and that over 60 percent expect to rely on emergency responders in the first 72 hours following a disaster.
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSFEMA/bulletins/1547389
A National survey of 5000 respondents. Individuals living in areas with a history of a specific hazard and who have experienced the impact of that hazard are significantly more likely to report they had taken basic steps to prepare themselves and their household.
http://www.co.wallowa.or.us/public_safety/emergency_services/docs/Appendix_E_Survey.pdf
Women accounted for 57% of survey respondents even though they represented just less than 50% of the population in the Southeastern region according to the 2000 Census. The mean age of survey respondents was 58 years. This is considerably higher than the average median age, 40.
