Survey reveals insightful findings on how different generations would react during an emergency

Emergency situations often lead to spontaneous reactions, but could our generation influence how we respond? A new survey sought to find out by asking people across different age groups what they would do if faced with a catastrophe and only five minutes to decide, according to the New York Post. Talker Research surveyed 2,000 U.S. citizens, evenly split among baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z, with some surprisingly insightful results.

Commissioned by Master Lock, the research tried to find if the generational gap influenced our decision-making process in situations. For instance, if one's house catches fire, participants were asked about the go-to items they were most likely to grab. Of those surveyed, Gen Zers (born after 1996) gave the most distinguishing answers, listing out things one would have never imagined.

Moreover, the study came up with various intriguing findings, such as Gen Zers giving more preference to their gadgets and shoes over cash and credit cards. Yes! You heard it right. Of the Gen Z participants, 35% of them said that they would prefer to take their laptop with them and the same percentage of folks prioritized their shoes over any other thing. Meanwhile, the other 30% gave value to their prescription medicine.

Additionally, this reinforces the common belief that post-millennials are indeed the “net generation.” According to Newsweek, there was no clear reason behind why Gen Zers chose shoes, as highlighted in the research. But it could be to avoid the situation as quickly as they can. Or, they may have taken the idea of being a sneakerhead way too seriously, the outlet added.

On the other hand, the responses from people belonging to other generations were completely contrasting to these, reported KTEN. A large number of people in the survey (around 43%) who are part of Gen X, preferred taking family photo albums during an emergency. The other 33% said that they would save their essential clothing items. Among the baby boomers, 21% said that they would choose more important things to grab, like their own jewelry, including engagement rings or wedding bands; the other 21% and 17% expressed their willingness to grab water and food respectively. 

Overall, Americans have become more aware of emergency preparedness, as nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) take it far more seriously than people used to in the previous decade. The factors behind people increasingly showing interest in emergency response, as per the survey, is their care for their families (47%) and pets (36%) along with more awareness about natural disasters (48%). Despite all the differences, there were a few items that brought all the generations together.

When it comes to articles of emotional attachment, Americans of all generations value them over everything else. Some of the responses were: “The heart necklace that was my grandmother’s,” “The urns, [one] holding my husband, the other holding my son,” “The flag from my father’s funeral for his service in the military,” and even a “painting of a dog that my mom did when I was a kid.” As many as two in five respondents agreed to sleep on the floor for the rest of their lives to save these items, while 11 % expressed willingness to sacrifice their entire bank account. Every fifth millennial preferred these precious items over their marriage and showed no hesitation in even ending the relationship they have with their partners.