Credible Sources of Information Regarding Induced Seismicity

Abstract

The central United States has seen an increase in earthquakes in recent years, spurring academics to research this new hazard and communicate their findings to the public-that the earthquakes are human-induced and tied to activities associated with oil and gas development. However, individuals receive information from a variety of sources and accept or reject information based on how credible they view the information source. Within this study, we administered and analyzed a household survey to understand what sources individuals view as credible regarding induced seismicity and oil and gas development, and what factors predict this perceived source credibility. We found that academics were viewed as the most credible source, and elected officials were viewed as the least credible source. Rural respondents viewed sources, including academics, as less credible than their urban counterparts. Those who experienced more negative impacts of induced seismicity viewed all sources as less credible than did individuals who have not experienced such adverse impacts. These findings are important to consider when developing outreach and communication campaigns around sustainability issues, as the public will view certain sources, particularly academics, as more credible than the sources that traditionally create and enact policy, such as elected officials and government agencies.

Exploring Students’ and Teachers’ Insights on School-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Safety: A Case Study of Western Morava Basin, Serbia

“…Observed patterns can be explained by various factors influencing students' behavior in seeking information about disasters [173]. Students achieving outstanding academic results may prioritize reliable and credible sources of information [174]. Their academic success may also reflect their ability to critically evaluate information and effectively use it in their studies [175].…”

Exploring Students' and Teachers' Insights on School-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Safety: A Case Study of Western Morava Basin, Serbia

“…Observed patterns can be explained by various factors influencing students' behavior in seeking information about disasters [166]. Students achieving outstanding academic results may prioritize reliable and credible sources of information [167]. Their academic success may also reflect their ability to critically evaluate information and effectively use it in their studies [168].…”

Applying the extended parallel process model to understand households’ responses to tornado and earthquake risks in Oklahoma

“…Wei and Lindell (2017) also used the mean value of the adoption of each response and provide an overall emergency preparedness (danger control response) score for a specific hazard. While focusing on individual risk responses provides detailed information on each adjustment activity, the mixed results in the literature (e.g., Botzenet al, 2019;Reynaud et al, 2013;Tracy & Javernick-Will, 2020;Wu et al, 2020) and lack of interpretability (Perry & Lindell, 1990) reduce the practical value of these findings for emergency management professionals. For example, while Reynaud et al (2013) reported that flood risk perception leads to the adoption of home elevation, Botzen et al (2019) did not find a significant impact of flood risk perception on home elevation.…”

“…As with tornado adjustment studies, many of these studies explore why people consider adopting general and hazard‐specific individual danger control responses (often referred to as protective hazard adjustments), such as developing a household emergency plan, storing food and water, or installing earthquake latches. In many cases, the drivers of adjustments, and importance of individual drivers, varies across adjustments and across hazards (Tracy & Javernick‐Will, 2020; Wu et al., 2020). In addition, while some of these studies have considered multiple hazards, none that we reviewed have explored how these factors affect the level, or number of hazard adjustments households adopted.…”