Survivalism

Survivalism refers to a cultural movement that emphasizes individual and family preparedness for emergencies, disasters, or disruptions to infrastructure. It centers on self-reliance, planning, and access to essential resources, with varying emphasis on physical readiness, shelter, and skills.

Its roots are in early 20th century civil defense and frontier homesteading, with increased interest during the late 20th century as concerns about natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical instability grew. The term prepper describes adherents who actively plan for worst-case scenarios, often engaging online communities, training, and gear purchases.

Common practices include creating emergency plans, maintaining food and water reserves, first aid and basic medical training, and obtaining shelter and light energy resilience. Many maintain bug-out or go-bags, maps, and evacuation routes. Skills such as gardening, foraging, basic carpentry, water purification, and sometimes firearms and self-defense are part of some clusters of survivalists. Homesteading, off-grid living, and community preparedness are alternative expressions of the same impulse.

The movement is diverse and not monolithic. Some adherents focus on disaster preparedness for storms and outages, others on longer-term societal disruption, and others on personal security. Critics argue that some trends veer into paranoia, excessive consumerism, or social division, and some associations with militant or extremist groups have drawn scrutiny. Proponents argue that preparedness can improve resilience, reduce strain on public services, and save lives.