Taiwan’s government has in recent years stepped up efforts to strengthen national defense, societal resilience, and risk communication amid growing security and disaster risks. As part of this push, an updated civil defense handbook – “In Case of Crisis: Taiwan’s National Public Safety Guide” – was released to provide citizens with practical guidance on emergency preparedness. In an unprecedented initiative, the Taiwanese government has begun distributing copies of the guide to households across the island, making it one of the most wide-ranging public preparedness campaigns in Taiwan’s history.

The logic behind this approach is straightforward. In a crisis, the gap between official plans and household readiness can quickly become a strategic vulnerability. A guidebook cannot replace training, stockpiles, or institutional coordination, but it can signal priorities, standardize basic steps, and give citizens a clearer sense of what preparedness looks like in practice. 

The question, however, is whether this kind of guidance does more than raise awareness.

While Taiwan’s push for “whole-of-society resilience” has emphasized public education and risk communication, it is far less clear whether exposure to official preparedness guidance translates into a greater willingness to take steps. Preparing emergency supplies, coordinating plans with family members, or routinely following official updates all require time, effort, and sustained attention. These are costs that information alone may not always overcome. Does an official message actually move people to act?

To examine this question, we........

© The Diplomat