In recent years, the impact of natural and man-made hazards on critical infrastructure has resulted in governments, regulators, utilities and other interested parties elevating requirements to enhance the ability of critical infrastructure. In this context, CIGRE C4 has established a technical working group (WG) to provide guidance in an attempt to standardise the approach to adopt resilience thinking in the utility environment. The first duty of the CIGRE C4.47 WG was to conduct an international survey to understand the existing trends of adoption and application of resilience concepts in the electricity sector. This reference paper will describe key observations and unpack the initial thoughts of the WG. Further insight into the survey observations and results can be obtained from the future CIGRE Technical Brochure.