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Research about preppers: Do they trust others? Do they believe in the future?

The interest in prepping – the practice of preparing oneself and one’s household for future crises – has been on the rise in Sweden since the 2010s. It's visible through numerous blogs, handbooks, podcasts, social media forums, and specialty stores. But what’s in the mind of a “prepper”? What is the driving force, the belief, the trust – or distrust?

Portrait of a girl. Text in the image: I'm seriously prepared for everything serious
Portrait of a girl. Text in the image: I'm seriously prepared for everything serious

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Elias Mellander, Göteborg University

This interest in prepping reached new heights during the Covid-19 pandemic and once again peaked during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine as people looked for strategies to handle a sense of growing uncertainty. With its cultural roots in North America, prepping culture has spread globally and today exists as an intersection of subcultural community, hobby activity, and civil defence – often focusing on the development of skills and material preparations for situations where the proverbial “shit hits the fan”.

Title of the project

För alla eventualiteter: Prepping, hemberedskap & hotet om konflikt

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