Problems of preparedness and its promotion in Germany

The official strategy in Germany to promote preparedness is the appliance of mass communication instruments to inform the population about hazards and protection measures as well as to influence the risk perception of people. This is thought to be an appropriate method to raise the level of preparedness. A research project running from 2005 to 2010 investigated central assumptions of the current promotion measures. The results show that a change of paradigm is urgently needed.