Effects of Risk Perception on Disaster Preparedness Toward Typhoons: An Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

This study adopted an extended theory of planned behavior to understand how risk perception affected disaster preparedness behavior. An intercept survey (N = 286) was conducted at a typhoon-prone district of Hong Kong, China in 2019, then the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that risk perception and intention of preparedness were predictors of disaster preparedness behavior. Risk perception significantly affected intention of preparedness and the effect was partially mediated by subjective norm. Risk perception also significantly affected attitude and perceived behavioral control, but attitude and perceived behavioral control were not significantly correlated with intention of preparedness. Not only may this study supplement the existing literature of disaster preparedness toward typhoons, but also it provides insights for the planning and management of natural hazards and disaster risk reduction in Hong Kong.

Research on household emergency supplies storage from the theory of planned behavior and intention-behavior gap in the context of COVID-19

“…Actions speak louder than words, and it is more important to actually store household emergency supplies than to establish a high intention to store in terms of improving the households’ ability to respond to public health emergencies. However, in a study of typhoon disaster preparedness, Ng (2022) noted that although there was a significant correlation between residents’ intentions and behaviors in terms of disaster preparedness, the level of behavior was significantly lower than that of intention. During our team’s preliminary research, this interesting phenomenon was also noticed, that is, even though urban residents have a high intention to store household emergency supplies, fewer of them actually turn into storing behaviors, and there may be an intention-behavior gap in the field of household emergency supplies storage.…”

“…When important people around them believe that a certain behavior should be done, individuals feel pressured by normative beliefs and the motivation to comply, and tend to meet the expectations of others and society. Numerous studies (e.g., Najafi et al, 2017 ; Tan et al, 2020 ; Ng, 2022 ) have shown that subjective norms are important factors in influencing disaster preparedness. In the model constructed by Ng (2022) , the subjective norm is the only variable among the three basic prior variables of TPB (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control) that has a significant effect on preparedness intentions.…”

“…Nowadays, a large number of studies have focused on panic buying behavior in the context of COVID-19 ( Fu et al, 2021 ; Kassas and Nayga, 2021 ) and preparedness for different types of disasters (e.g., typhoons, earthquakes, etc. ; Zaremohzzabieh et al, 2021 ; Hu et al, 2022 ; Ng, 2022 ). However, there are relatively few studies on the behavior of household emergency supplies storage.…”

A Study on Behavioral Intentions: An Theory Planned Behavior Perspectives

“…behavior. Likewise, the higher the degree of behavioral intention, the higher the degree of user behavior [18,20,29].…”

Pre-rainy Season Rainstorms in South China—Risk Perception of the 11 April 2019 Rainstorm in Shenzhen City

“…Muñoz-Duque et al (2021) emphasized the important role of previous experience with coastal floods, risk habits, and emotional connection with local areas as determinants of risk perception. Most risk perception studies are based on a questionnaire survey of the target groups (Hudson et al 2020;Kim and Madison 2020;Buchenrieder et al 2021;Ng 2022).…”