This is how nearly every conversation I have about sensible preparation eventually goes. It's a fun, but mostly person-specific set of assumed characteristics that each solution must satisfy, usually contradictory with the other persons assumptions.

I'd love to see some rigor to this study.

In that respect, I aim for 80/20: Some canned and dry goods, a good first aid kit, lots of water, a full tank of gas, and some backup power. My apocalypse model does not include zombies.