Disaster Preparedness and Perceptions of People who Experienced Water Insecurity: Insights from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s World Risk Poll

Water insecurity, or lack of sustainable access to adequate quantities of safe water, is a threat to human health and well-being worldwide. To inform communications for people with water insecurity, we examined key characteristics of people who reported (vs did not report) water insecurity on the 121-country 2021 Lloyd's Register Foundation World Risk Poll (n > 125,000). We discuss three findings, which were robust across multiple analyses. First, participants who reported (vs did not report) water insecurity felt less prepared for disasters. Second, local news and emergency services were the most universally trusted information sources, though participants who reported (vs did not report) water insecurity trusted these sources slightly less. Third, water-safety concerns were more strongly associated with severe weather concerns than with climate change concerns, especially among participants who reported (vs did not report) water insecurity. Thus, communications targeting people who have experienced water insecurity should aim to improve disaster preparedness, use trusted information sources such as local news and emergency services, and highlight connections between water-safety threats and worsening severe weather.