3 Things To Know: Shifting Trends in How Americans Stock Up for Emergencies, School Safety Concerns Weigh on Parents 

This is just a sneak peek at the thousands of consumer insights available to CivicScience clients. Discover more data.

1. How Americans stock up for emergencies has changed since the pandemic in light of Hurricane Helene and the (now-paused) dockworkers strike. 

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, CivicScience data examined how prepared Americans feel for natural disasters and other emergencies. The majority of U.S. adults (66%) have household essentials, such as toilet paper and water, stocked up in the event of an emergency. Americans living in the West are the most likely to have such items on-hand, whereas those in the Midwest are the least likely to have extra essentials stocked up.¹ 

Keeping a supply of essential items has evolved since the early days of the pandemic when consumers emptied stores of toilet paper and cleaning supplies. New CivicScience polling shows one-quarter of Americans report they’re ‘more’ likely to keep an extra stash of essentials today compared to before the pandemic. This figure is more than twice the percentage of those who are ‘less’ likely to do this today compared to pre-pandemic.

Speaking of the pandemic, the short-lived threat of a Gulf and East Coast dockworkers strike inspired a brief flashback to 2020 as shoppers cleared store shelves of toilet paper in anticipation of a potentially long-lasting strike. It’s unsurprising to see why, given CivicScience data show 59% of those aware of the strike expected it to have a ‘major’ impact on the U.S. economy.² Household products like toilet paper, dry/canned/frozen goods, and personal care products were the items consumers were most likely to have stocked up on in anticipation of the strike.

Even with these possible impacts in mind, Americans were still more likely to support (37%) the dockworkers strike than oppose it (25%).³

Let Us Know: Do you have a well-stocked emergency kit in your home?

2. School safety concerns loom large on parents’ minds amid a recent flurry of threats to schools.

Schools are receiving an increased number of threats this year, resulting in the arrest of more than 700 children and teenagers over the past few weeks alone. Nearly 2-in-3 parents with K-12 students report being ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ worried about their children’s safety in school. Concern is especially high among lower-income households, as parents earning less than $25K annually are over three times more likely than those earning above $100K to be ‘very’ worried about school safety.

3. More than 3 in 10 student loan holders are ‘very’ concerned about the resumption of credit score penalties due to missed student loan payments.

Last week marked the end of the 12-month repayment buffer that shielded student loan borrowers from credit score penalties for missed payments after payment resumed last year. As credit score penalties return, 57% of those with student loans report being at least ‘somewhat’ concerned. 

Younger student loan holders report the strongest levels of anxiety over the resumption of penalties for late or non-payments. The legal limbo of President Biden’s student loan debt relief programs is likely to exacerbate those concerns, especially considering the percentage of those who have applied or would be likely to apply for forgiveness.

Weigh in: As student loans start impacting credit scores again, what level of concern do you have about the impact on your credit score?

Want the full story? CivicScience clients receive exclusive access to the data in The CivicScience Weekly Pulse report, plus even more in-depth insights.

1. 804 responses from 9/30/2024 to 10/02/2024 ↩︎
2. 1,586 responses from 10/01/2024 to 10/02/2024 excluding those unsure and unaware of the strike ↩︎
3. 1,622 responses from 10/01/2024 to 10/02/2024 excluding those unaware of the strike ↩︎