The Last of Us: why we should all think like preppers – and how to do it

Kamran Mahroof, University of Bradford and Liz Breen, University of Bradford

The acclaimed post-apocalyptic TV series The Last of Us, based on a hugely popular video game, featured a character – Bill – who has managed to live through the nightmare because he has prepared for such an eventuality – he is what he calls a “survivalist”.

“Prepping” – as it is widely known – is a way of anticipating and adapting to impending conditions of calamity by preparing homes, rooms and bunkers to survive in.

COVID-19, the limits on certain foodstuffs caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the cost of living crisis have pushed “preppers” from the fringes towards the mainstream.

Despite attempts by preppers to push back on stereotypes, prepping does still come with associations of doomsday and apocalyptic thinking. Research also suggests that preppers tend to be conspiratorial, often displaying traits such as low agreeableness, paranoia, and cynicism.

Yet many of us became partial “preppers” during the recent pandemic. We stocked up on loo rolls and rationed products, buying as many items with long shelf lives as we were allowed to by local supermarkets. Survival and a degree of panic were certainly driving our actions, and at times irrationally so.

Nevertheless, if done in the right way, prepping – thinking ahead and being proactive – is the opposite of panic buying. Instead, it means stocking up on key essentials over a long period of time, so that in the future there is no need to panic buy.

When demand for products surges, it leads to shortages which can cause what is known as a “bullwhip effect”. This is the phenomenon where increased demand by consumers creates unsustainable and exaggerated demand across the entire supply chain. This