Britons fleeing their homes after a government disaster or WW3 alert may grab one particular childhood toy, along with food, water and clothes, scientists have revealed. In the face of climate change and growing geopolitical instability, governments have already been advising citizens on how to prepare for disaster.
In 2024, the UK Government launched its Prepare portal, offering practical advice for households on how to prepare for a war, cyberattack or severe weather crisis, followed by the EU's own 'preparEU', which suggests that homes put aside enough food, water and medicine for 72 hours. But a new study by Liverpool John Moores and the University of Oxford found that when the alert pings on the nation's mobiles, many Brits also prioritise packing sentimental belongings, such as a childhood teddy bear.
Study findings on sentimental items
The study, which appeared in The Conversation, was authored by Professor Ruth Ogden (LJMU), Patricia Kingori (Oxford), and post-doc Anna Powell (LJMU), who found pets also featured heavily in people's responses.
The scientists said: "When asked what other items they would take with them during a crisis, many participants felt that personal items would be critical to their post-disaster wellbeing." They expressed a strong desire to keep sentimental items such as jewellery, family photographs and objects from their childhood close to them during a crisis.
As one participant wrote: 'My childhood teddy bear. He is going to the grave with me. Apart from that, nothing matters much'.
Preparedness gaps revealed
The study follows an eight-year global research collaboration led by Kingori, Professor of Global Health Ethics at the University of Oxford, a Wellcome Trust-funded research project exploring how people experience and recover from crises. Following this eight-year 'After the End' project, the three scientists surveyed 1,000 UK adults to assess their preparedness for a sudden crisis or disaster.
The universities said: "We found that most people have less than half of what is recommended by the UK government and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. Only four out of 1,000 people reported being fully prepared."
"Our findings echo the 2025 UK Public Survey of Risk Perception, Resilience and Preparedness, which found that of 10,536 adults, only 13% felt largely or totally prepared. However, the focus on practical items and supplies may not capture what people need to withstand the emotional toll of crisis and disaster."
Why teddy bears matter in a crisis
Animals such as cats and dogs were often described as family members. Some participants even found comfort in the idea of taking the ashes of deceased pets with them if they needed to flee in an emergency.
The psychology concept called 'extended self-theory' explains why these types of items hold such importance during everyday life and also during a crisis. The scientists explain: "It suggests that our sense of self is fragile, and continually built and maintained through our connections with the world around us."
"In this way, the things we surround ourselves with do more than serve practical functions. They help us construct, stabilise and make sense of our identity. Consciously or subconsciously, our possessions become part of who we are."
A childhood teddy bear, therefore, becomes a possession imbued with memories and emotions which tell a tale of who we are, where we have come from, and who we care about. Objects can reinforce continuity of identity over time and space. Having a strong sense of self can be beneficial during times of crisis. If we enter such a period with a sense of identity that is stable and coherent, it can act as a psychological anchor.
A strong identity helps us cope in a challenging situation, and reduces the likelihood of ruminating about negative experiences. Research also suggests that our ability to connect with items from pre-disaster periods influences our ability to cope and recover psychologically following an emergency.
So, salvaging photographs and other items of sentimental value during disaster could help to preserve and rebuild our memory and identity. They add: "If everything around us falls apart, a treasured item can help us maintain some sense of normality."
This is perhaps why survivors of the 2011 Japan tsunami frequently described the loss of family photos as one of their greatest emotional losses. Sentimental items can maintain or even improve our belief that we are capable of achieving our goals. Psychologists refer to this as self-efficacy.
And research suggests higher levels of self-efficacy are associated with greater preparedness for, and better coping after, a disaster, particularly in vulnerable groups such as those with disability. Our analysis found that people who reported greater self-efficacy also said they had more of the items and knowledge recommended by the UK's Prepare initiative.
Practical advice for packing
Sentimental items can also help to rebuild communities. Heirlooms and meaningful everyday items from before a crisis become points of storytelling afterwards. So, remember to save a little space in your backpack for something that means something to you.
Whether it is a childhood teddy bear, your late mother's engagement ring or a beer coaster from a first date, these items are more than just "things". When so much else is uncertain, the small objects that remind us who we are may be among the most valuable items we can take with us.
