Doomsday fears are prompting Americans to prep for disaster as the 2024 election approaches, according to a new report by USA Today.
Referring to a survey by the financial site Finder.com, the report on Monday said more and more Americans are fearing societal collapse — are making survival plans.
The survey found that overall, around 30 percent of Americans took steps towards disaster preparedness last year — a marked increase from previous years.
Prepping expert Brad Garrett told USA Today that people on the left are afraid that Donald Trump, if elected president, is going to "declare himself dictator of the United States and people on the left are going to end up as targets in some sort of authoritarian system."
"On the right, it's general malaise and a fear of society unraveling. They point to these smash-and-grab robberies, riots and protests," Garrett said.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville professor Chad Huddleston said that the impetus for people to become preppers is the feeling that "the government could not or would not help" with something they find concerning.
“On one side, people think Trump may bring a New World Order and ‘they’ will come and get us so we need to be ready," he said. "And then on the other hand you have the communities who think things will get just get worse so we have to help ourselves."
While preppers historically are comprised of libertarian types who expect the eventual ushering of a new world order, the movement is becoming more ideologically diverse, especially with younger liberal people who oppose Trump.
Read more at USA Today.
