Predicting earthquake preparedness intention among Croatian residents: Application of the theory of planned behaviour

Abstract

After several earthquakes occurred in Croatia in 2020, it became clear that the country's inhabitants were not prepared for seismic hazards. The aim of this study was to investigate what factors determine intention to prepare for earthquakes, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. A cross‐sectional study was conducted with 374 participants (70.1% women) aged 18–64 years. Participants self‐reported their attitudes toward earthquake preparedness, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and intention to prepare for an earthquake. Structural equation modelling showed that stronger intention to prepare for an earthquake was predicted by more positive attitudes toward earthquake preparedness and by more supportive subjective norms relating to earthquake preparedness. In contrast, perceived behavioural control was not associated with intention to prepare for an earthquake, nor did it moderate the association of attitudes or subjective norms with such intention. These results suggest that attitudes and subjective norms relating to earthquake preparedness are important factors that should be considered in future programmes to improve earthquake preparedness in the Croatian population.

Modeling factors related to earthquake preparedness: a structural equation modeling approach.

“…However, the results of this study contradict some previous research. Speci cally, the ndings indicate that perceived behavioral control promotes earthquake preparedness, which is in contrast to some research in Iran and other countries that found no in uence of perceived behavioral control on intentions to engage in earthquake preparedness (43,54) Additionally, the study found that attitude does not signi cantly predict intentions to engage in earthquake preparedness, which contradicts some previous research that found positive attitudes towards earthquake preparedness to be positive contributors to intentions to engage in earthquake preparedness (33,43,44,54). This increase in perceived behavioral control and engagement in earthquake preparedness is further increased when supported by an enabling environment (56).…”

“…Furthermore, the ndings support the importance of subjective norms and their relationship to attitudes in promoting disaster risk reduction through disaster preparedness. This is consistent with ndings from other studies on earthquake preparedness in Iran (53) and other countries (54), and supports prior research on the link between subjective norms and intentions to engage in earthquake preparedness (44). This suggests that public health initiatives should focus not only on individual attitudes but also on fostering supportive social norms to encourage preparedness behaviors.…”