‘It’s to help people’ or ‘Just switch it off’? Analysis of the social media response to the 2025 test of the UK Emergency Alerts system

<p>Given the importance of prompt public action in the context of disaster and incident response, effective public communication is essential to inform individuals of appropriate actions to take and reduce adverse outcomes. Emergency Alert (EA) systems present an important opportunity to communicate information during disasters and major incidents. However, to maximise their effectiveness, it is important to understand how EA systems are evaluated and perceived by the general public. The aim of the current study was to understand social media narratives surrounding the UK’s EA system and the 2025 system test using data collected from online and social media sources. User comments associated with posts from 10 national newspaper accounts relating to the 2025 UK EA system test were extracted. Data was analysed using a qualitative inductive framework approach. Five key themes were identified related to the EA system: i) EA system opposition, ii) Operational criticism of EA system, iii) Information exchange and social feedback, iv) Lack of trust in government related to EAs, v) Support for the EA system. Findings present important considerations for the development of public alert and warning systems and communication campaigns surrounding them. Further work is needed to investigate the behavioural impact of EAs in real-world contexts and explore the factors that may influence engagement with alerts.</p>