Many Parents Are One Disaster Away From a Document Emergency

Many Parents Are One Disaster Away From a Document Emergency

Many Parents Are One Disaster Away From a Document Emergency

The 2025 Trustworthy Family Resilience Index™

The 2025 Trustworthy Family Resilience Index™

The 2025 Trustworthy Family Resilience Index™

A national benchmark for how secure, organized, and resilient today’s families really are.

Families' Average Readiness Score:
Only 63.9 out of 100

Families' Average Readiness Score: Only 63.9 out of 100

Families today manage an overwhelming and growing amount of essential information: IDs, insurance documents, emergency plans, financial records, and much more. 

With this complexity comes increasing pressure to stay organized, responsive, and resilient. But how prepared are families for a natural disaster — or for any emergency? The answer: Not enough.

American families surveyed for Trustworthy’s 2025 Family Resilience Index™ scored an average of 63.9 out of 100 — indicating that most households are underprepared for a disaster or major household emergency. We set out to understand how prepared families feel — and how they actually behave — when it comes to being ready to handle a crisis. And the fact is, while many parents are relatively confident, the numbers tell a different story.

Families today manage an overwhelming and growing amount of essential information: IDs, insurance documents, emergency plans, financial records, and much more. 

With this complexity comes increasing pressure to stay organized, responsive, and resilient. But how prepared are families for a natural disaster — or for any emergency? The answer: Not enough.

American families surveyed for Trustworthy’s 2025 Family Resilience Index™ scored an average of 63.9 out of 100 — indicating that most households are underprepared for a disaster or major household emergency. We set out to understand how prepared families feel — and how they actually behave — when it comes to being ready to handle a crisis. And the fact is, while many parents are relatively confident, the numbers tell a different story.

Download the full Trustworthy Family Resilience Index report

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Download the full Trustworthy Family Resilience Index report

Download the full Trustworthy Family Resilience Index report

Enter your name and email address for a copy of our 2025 findings.

By entering your email address, you consent to receive communications from Trustworthy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails. View our privacy policy for more details.

By entering your email address, you consent to receive communications from Trustworthy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails. View our privacy policy for more details.

By entering your email address, you consent to receive communications from Trustworthy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails. View our privacy policy for more details.

Key Findings

Information readiness is low:

Just 52% of parents say they could quickly retrieve vital documents during an emergency, leaving nearly half of families vulnerable to dangerous delays in time-sensitive situations.

Nearly half of families share sensitive documents insecurely:

43% admit using unsecured apps or email for private document sharing, increasing the risk of identity theft or data breaches.

Only 55% of parents with a will have shared its location:

An undiscoverable will may as well not exist.

Just 60% have a secure, shareable list of logins:

Without it, families face avoidable delays in emergencies.

Disorganization costs families:

60% of households have missed deadlines or faced penalties from disorganization.

After a data breach, recovery isn’t swift:

48% of parents say it took days to regain account access.

46% of parents share passwords with their kids:

Open access may put those passwords at greater risk.

59% of disorganized parents say their family couldn’t function without them:

Disorganization fuels dependence.

59% report organizational disarray in recordkeeping:

A majority of parents report conflicting systems for organizing records, highlighting the need to consolidate document management into a single, standardized system.

Even tech-savvy parents often skip basic security:

30% of digitally confident parents still don't use a password manager, proving that confidence doesn’t always translate to secure behavior.

Only 65% of parents know if their kids’ devices are cybersecure:

That means more than a third are potentially blind to digital threats.

Key Findings

Families Are Less Resilient Than They Think

Most parents believe they are doing OK when it comes to family resilience. In fact, the average perceived resilience score is 73.1 out of 100 is barely a passing grade.

And the Trustworthy Family Resilience Index™ score sits at just 63.9, creating a 9.2-point resilience gap between what families believe and what their real-world systems can support.

The 2025 Trustworthy Family Resilience Index™ reveals a clear pattern: Families who embrace digital tools are more confident, calmer, and more resilient, while those who rely on manual systems face greater stress and fragility.


But not all families have equal access to digital trust — location and income shape whether households lean on modern systems or remain dependent on outdated methods.


Urban parents, for example, are more likely to put their faith in digital tools: 23% say they definitely trust cloud storage, compared with just 10% of rural families.

The same divide shows up in how households manage everyday responsibilities. 64% of urban families use systems to track tasks, while only 32% of rural households do the same. Manual methods may feel familiar, but they leave families exposed to disorganization and delays when crises strike.

Confidence, Trust, and the Gender Resilience Gap

Confidence, Trust, and
the Gender Resilience Gap

Confidence, Trust, and the Gender Resilience Gap

Confidence and trust in digital systems fuel resilience but they don’t look the same across genders.

Men report higher confidence: 30% say digital organization definitely makes them calmer in a crisis, compared with 22% of women.

They are also far more likely to use some type of system to track tasks: 69% of men vs. 43% of women. This reliance on systems not only supports stronger preparedness but also fosters a greater sense of calm when emergencies arise.

Women, meanwhile, are less trusting of digital tools. Only 14% of women definitely trust cloud storage, compared with 25% of men.

Many women continue to shoulder household management with more manual methods, increasing both their workload and their stress.

Men report higher confidence: 30% say digital organization definitely makes them calmer in a crisis, compared with 22% of women.

They are also far more likely to use some type of system to track tasks: 69% of men vs. 43% of women. This reliance on systems not only supports stronger preparedness but also fosters a greater sense of calm when emergencies arise.

Women, meanwhile, are less trusting of digital tools. Only 14% of women definitely trust cloud storage, compared with 25% of men.

Many women continue to shoulder household management with more manual methods, increasing both their workload and their stress.

Confidence, Trust, and the Gender Resilience Gap

Confidence and trust in digital systems fuel resilience but they don’t look the same across genders.

Men report higher confidence: 30% say digital organization definitely makes them calmer in a crisis, compared with 22% of women.

They are also far more likely to use some type of system to track tasks: 69% of men vs. 43% of women. This reliance on systems not only supports stronger preparedness but also fosters a greater sense of calm when emergencies arise.

Women, meanwhile, are less trusting of digital tools. Only 14% of women definitely trust cloud storage, compared with 25% of men.

Many women continue to shoulder household management with more manual methods, increasing both their workload and their stress.

How Demographics Shape Digital Resilience

How Demographics Shape Digital Resilience

The 2025 Trustworthy Family Resilience Index™ reveals a clear pattern: Families who embrace digital tools are more confident, calmer, and more resilient, while those who rely on manual systems face greater stress and fragility.


But not all families have equal access to digital trust — location and income shape whether households lean on modern systems or remain dependent on outdated methods.


Urban parents, for example, are more likely to put their faith in digital tools: 23% say they definitely trust cloud storage, compared with just 10% of rural families.

The same divide shows up in how households manage everyday responsibilities. 64% of urban families use systems to track tasks, while only 32% of rural households do the same. Manual methods may feel familiar, but they leave families exposed to disorganization and delays when crises strike.

Income amplifies these differences. Upper-income households ($160,000 or more) are significantly more resilient.

For example:

Upper-income respondents who were definitely able to access their insurance policies independently

VS.

Low-income respondents (below $30,000) who were definitely able to access their insurance policies independently

Upper-income respondents who were definitely able to access their insurance policies independently

VS.

Low-income respondents (below $30,000) who were definitely able to access their insurance policies independently

Confidence in digital tools also scales with wealth: 33% of upper-income parents definitely trust cloud storage, nearly double the 17% of low-income families. And with digital trust comes peace of mind: 38% of wealthier families definitely feel calmer when organized digitally, compared with just 20% of low-income households.


For families with fewer resources, the stress is heavier and the responsibility more concentrated: One parent is often the sole “default organizer,” carrying the full weight of family management.


Taken together, the data is clear: Trust in digital systems is the backbone of resilience. Wealthy urban families are leaning into digital tools to create calm, continuity, and confidence.


Rural and low-income families, meanwhile, remain trapped by paper, siloed systems, and higher stress. The resilience gap isn’t about caring less — it’s about access to tools that make preparedness simple, trustworthy, and shared.

Income amplifies these differences.
Upper-income households ($160,000 or more) are significantly more resilient.

Upper-income respondents who were definitely able to access their insurance policies independently

VS.

Low-income respondents (below $30,000) who were definitely able to access their insurance policies independently

The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line

The 2025 Trustworthy Family Resilience Index™ reveals a powerful truth: American families care about being ready for the unexpected, but many remain vulnerable due to mismatched perceptions and real-world habits.


While most parents feel a sense of control, the daily behaviors we uncovered — missed backups, single-point dependency, and unshared information — paint a different picture.


The good news? Progress is well within reach. Our data shows that households with shared responsibility, reliable systems, and clear planning are far more resilient. Families don’t need perfection — they need backup plans and tools that support secure, shared access to critical information.

The Bottom Line

Survey Methodology

This survey was commissioned by Trustworthy and conducted in July 2025 by independent research firm TrendCandy, which contacted 2,048 U.S. families with children at home. The margin of error for this survey was +/- 2.2% at the 95% confidence level.

Download the full Trustworthy Family Resilience Index report

Enter your name and email address for a copy of our 2025 report.

By entering your email address, you consent to receive communications from Trustworthy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails. View our privacy policy for more details.

By entering your email address, you consent to receive communications from Trustworthy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails. View our privacy policy for more details.

Download the full Trustworthy Family Resilience Index report

Download the full Trustworthy Family Resilience Index report

Enter your name and email address for a copy of our 2025 findings.

By entering your email address, you consent to receive communications from Trustworthy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails. View our privacy policy for more details.

By entering your email address, you consent to receive communications from Trustworthy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails. View our privacy policy for more details.

By entering your email address, you consent to receive communications from Trustworthy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails. View our privacy policy for more details.