This study investigates the reasons why people in China do not prepare for disasters, using a national survey of 6,350 respondents. It identifies seven key disaster preparedness actions, including preparing food and water, paying attention to disaster information, making emergency plans, knowing nearest shelters, understanding building codes, participating in drills, and volunteering for emergencies. The primary reasons for not adopting these actions are lack of awareness, difficulty accessing resources, and perceiving the action as unnecessary. Other factors include financial cost, need for special knowledge, lack of time, need for collaboration, energy consumption, and feeling responsible. Trust in government, relocation due to disasters, living in urban areas, and higher socioeconomic status are positively correlated with higher preparedness. The study emphasizes the importance of community outreach to increase public awareness of disaster preparedness. It also highlights the need to address barriers between preparedness intentions and actual actions, especially for socially vulnerable groups. The findings suggest that higher socioeconomic status, urban living, and trust in government increase the likelihood of adopting all seven preparedness actions. The study also notes that disaster experience can have mixed effects on preparedness, and that measures of disaster experience should be carefully designed to capture real impacts. The study has limitations, including its cross-sectional nature and lack of geospatial data. Future research should explore deeper reasons for non-preparedness and integrate experimental designs into surveys. The study contributes to disaster management research by highlighting the importance of community outreach and public education in disaster preparedness.This study investigates the reasons why people in China do not prepare for disasters, using a national survey of 6,350 respondents. It identifies seven key disaster preparedness actions, including preparing food and water, paying attention to disaster information, making emergency plans, knowing nearest shelters, understanding building codes, participating in drills, and volunteering for emergencies. The primary reasons for not adopting these actions are lack of awareness, difficulty accessing resources, and perceiving the action as unnecessary. Other factors include financial cost, need for special knowledge, lack of time, need for collaboration, energy consumption, and feeling responsible. Trust in government, relocation due to disasters, living in urban areas, and higher socioeconomic status are positively correlated with higher preparedness. The study emphasizes the importance of community outreach to increase public awareness of disaster preparedness. It also highlights the need to address barriers between preparedness intentions and actual actions, especially for socially vulnerable groups. The findings suggest that higher socioeconomic status, urban living, and trust in government increase the likelihood of adopting all seven preparedness actions. The study also notes that disaster experience can have mixed effects on preparedness, and that measures of disaster experience should be carefully designed to capture real impacts. The study has limitations, including its cross-sectional nature and lack of geospatial data. Future research should explore deeper reasons for non-preparedness and integrate experimental designs into surveys. The study contributes to disaster management research by highlighting the importance of community outreach and public education in disaster preparedness.