News item | 04-13-2026 | 08:00
Research in response to the Think Ahead public campaign shows that the percentage of Dutch people with an emergency package has risen to 44%, the number of Dutch people with an emergency plan has doubled and almost half of all Dutch people now talk to fellow residents about preparation. At the last measurement before the campaign, only 35% of Dutch people had taken action.
Minister Van Weel of Justice and Security: “These figures show that more and more Dutch people are seriously preparing for an emergency, such as a long-term power outage such as in Spain and Portugal in 2025. Preparing is no longer a one-off action, it is a habit that we must build together. And this certainly applies to us as a government, we too must take extra steps to become resilient to contemporary threats such as cyber attacks and sabotage. We must become resilient together.”
The results
Almost half of Dutch people now have an emergency package. The share with an emergency plan has more than doubled. And almost half of all Dutch people now have conversations about preparation with fellow residents, compared to less than one in five in 2025. More than nine in ten Dutch people have seen the central government’s information booklet. The campaign reached Dutch people through several channels: in addition to the information booklet that was sent to 8.5 million households, the government deployed television, radio and online campaigns to offer Dutch people concrete perspectives for action.
Preparation is becoming increasingly important
Hybrid threats, actions by state or non-state actors that aim to undermine or harm an opponent, are now tangible in practice. For example, the threat of attacks on vital infrastructure in the Netherlands is increasing and teenagers in the Netherlands may have been recruited for espionage preparations. There has also been an increase in sabotage actions on the railways in Europe, such as in Poland where an important military railway was sabotaged. In addition to these threats, emergencies such as natural disasters, prolonged power outages or disruptions to the internet or payment transactions can also hit society hard. In an emergency, the government and emergency services are where they are needed most, but they cannot be everywhere at once. That is why it is important that people can take care of themselves and their household for at least the first 72 hours.
Steps from the government
The Think Ahead campaign will continue to run in the coming years. 2026 has two major campaign periods: June and October. In June, the government will again focus on the general public. In October the focus will be on specific target groups, with extra attention, for example, to people who the government reaches less well. In addition, there is continuous communication: throughout the year, Denk Vooruit responds to current moments and events, such as King’s Day. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate is also working on a Think Ahead campaign aimed at companies. Because emergencies also require resilience from the private sector. Furthermore, various departments are working on measures and processes to increase resilience. Examples of this are risk analyzes and renewed crisis plans for energy, drinking water, rail and food security and the government is working to improve the protection of infrastructure in the North Sea. In collaboration with the Safety Council and the VNG, the government is also working on a national network of emergency support points, where citizens can go in their own neighborhood in a crisis. Pilots for this purpose were started this year in various regions. Safety regions and municipalities implement this locally.