Survey: Only 9.3% of Residents Act Immediately on Cell Broadcast Alerts
A survey commissioned by Latvia's State Fire and Rescue Service shows that almost everyone polled has received cell broadcast alerts, yet only 9.3% act on them immediately. The service urges people to read alerts in full and follow the instructions without seeking confirmation first.
Most Latvians surveyed receive and notice cell broadcast alerts, but only a small share act on them right away. This follows from a survey by the research company Norstat, commissioned by the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) and conducted online across Latvia in November 2026. Cell broadcast is a system that sends official warnings about threats directly to mobile phones.
What the results show
The survey covered 1,004 respondents. Almost 95% have received cell broadcast alerts, and 89.4% have received them several times. Some 51% take the alerts seriously, yet only 9.3% admit they act immediately. Another 41.7% check additional information before doing anything.
Almost a quarter, 24.4%, pay attention to the alerts but do not always consider action necessary. Meanwhile 11.7% do not act because they believe the threat will not affect them personally. Linda Ezera, head of Norstat Latvija and a sociologist, said most people know the alert levels, but that does not always mean readiness to act. Respondents who do not know the levels more often ignore the alerts or pay no attention to them.
The service's appeal
Mārtiņš Baltmanis, the VUGD chief and a general, stressed that an alert is official and reliable information, so there is no need to wait for confirmation in the news, on social media or from other people. If an alert calls for immediate action, searching for more information may cost time needed for protection. Clinical psychologist Diāna Zande noted that people tend to think misfortune happens to others, and advised preparing a personal or family action plan in advance.
Latgale data and the campaign
In Latgale, 97% of respondents have received alerts, and 85% correctly identify the colours of all three alert levels: red, orange and yellow. Still, 33.3% pay attention but do not always see action as necessary.
In November, VUGD is running an information campaign called "Pamanu. Saprotu. Rīkojos." ("I Notice. I Understand. I Act."), whose first stage focuses on getting alerts noticed. It is the first of three campaigns under the Latvian-Lithuanian "MassMovement" project on mass evacuation readiness. The next stages, planned for 2027, will address home and family resilience as well as evacuation.
