I'd say a bit of both. But I really don't think the majority of people are much more prepared than they were before, even if they do go out and buy all the "survival supplies" the media tells them they need. Buying 50lbs. of rice is good and fine, but if you don't normally eat rice, don't have any way to cook it off the grid, don't store it properly, or mistakenly think that its all you need to survive for a few weeks or so, you could be in for a rude awakening. Same thing with someone who buys a generator for emergencies but has rarely/never used it and just assumes things will work like the guy at home depot said it would when the need arises. If its not a habit, its just a fad.