Disaster risk awareness and preparedness of the EU population: Sweden

This survey on disaster risk awareness and preparedness in Sweden reveals that citizens feel most vulnerable to cybersecurity threats (57%), followed by critical infrastructure disruptions (53%) and health emergencies (33%). Swedes display high risk awareness and generally trust public authorities for disaster-related information, primarily turning to local or national authorities, emergency agencies, and national media. This reliance indicates a preference for formal information channels to communicate risks effectively. Despite these perceived vulnerabilities, Swedish citizens have taken significantly more preparedness measures than other Europeans across most response types and demonstrate slightly higher trust in public authorities. Overall, while Swedes feel vulnerable to various threats, their proactive preparedness and trust in public institutions provide a solid foundation for effective disaster response and resilience.

This serial survey assesses the awareness of EU citizens about the disaster risks that could affect them, their preparedness to face various disaster risk scenarios, and the reliance they place on a range of actors in disaster situations. The survey also explores the engagement of EU citizens in voluntary work to increase disaster resilience.