Preparedness Behavior and the apocalypse: religion and politics in the post 2020 election era

Abstract

Research on disaster preparedness finds little connection between religious variables, such as beliefs surrounding the end of the world (apocalypticism), and physical preparations (e.g., having three days of food and water stored). In light of rhetoric from evangelical elites urging the faithful to prepare for the apocalypse given recent events, such as the 2020 election, we sought to re-evaluate the connection between physical preparations for difficult times and religious variables including Christian nationalism, apocalypticism, church attendance, and the belief that Christians are being persecuted in the country. Results from an original survey conducted in early 2021 reveal a strong positive association between apocalypticism and measures of disaster preparedness. Other religious variables (Christian nationalism, in particular) do not always relate to preparedness behavior in expected ways. While it remains unclear what role, if any, Christian elites played in convincing the faithful to prepare not only their souls for the apocalypse, but also their pantries, it is evident that apocalyptic beliefs track with physical preparedness behavior.

Christian nationalism, religious struggles, and the structural amplification of emotional distress

“…2020), or to do a deeper examination into the dimensions of R/S struggles particularly likely to affect Christian nationalists and interpersonal or divine struggles. We would also encourage future research to build off recent research which finds that belief in apocalypticism partially accounts for the bivariate association between Christian nationalism and disaster preparedness, an indicator of greater anxiety about the future (Adkins, Djupe, and Neiheisel 2023). Christian nationalism, as a worldview that might magnify the role of religious beliefs in predicting the apocalypse, could potentially be another form of R/S struggle that could mediate or amplify the association between Christian nationalism and emotional well‐being.…”