Abstract:The division of responsibilities for disaster preparedness between individuals and society is rapidly evolving: national‐level preparedness has made way for networked disaster risk governance, and citizens are also expected to play their part. Preparedness is shaped by various individual and socioeconomic factors, including previous disaster experience and perceptions of risk. However, little is known about whom citizens perceive to be responsible for preparedness. This study examines the factors associated wi… Show more
“…A question that often arises is who is responsible to take preparedness actions. People who do not experience disasters often tend to believe that (regional) authorities and civil protection are responsible to ensure that communities are resilient to earthquakes (Nikkanen et al, 2023). This is supported by our findings that people indicated that the risk map is especially useful for emergency services/authorities and not for themselves.…”
Section: Insights For Information Campaignssupporting
confidence: 74%
“…Further, the lowest label of the legend should not be "no risk" but rather "very low risk". Communicating that zero risk is impossible does not diminish the trust in risk management agencies, so there is no need to fear losing people's confidence in the information provided (Nakayachi, 1998).…”
Section: Insights For Information Campaignsmentioning
With seismic risk assessments becoming more available and reliable over the last years, the need to communicate seismic risk emerged. Seismic risk allows people to understand what impacts earthquakes can have and how they could affect their lives. In Switzerland, a nation-wide seismic risk model (ERM-CH23) was published in 2023 demanding sophisticated communication products to inform about its results. Since only limited research has been conducted on how to best communicate earthquake risk information to societies including the general public, key elements of the outreach activities were tested before the model release. To this end, we, an interdisciplinary group, conducted a nationwide survey in Switzerland in December 2022 to test different earthquake risk map designs by varying the color scale and the legend type. We analyzed the effects of the map and legend design on people's correct interpretation of the risk information, perceived usefulness, risk perception, and motivation to take action. Our survey revealed that (i) a legend with the combination of qualitative and quantitative labels leads to more accurate interpretations of the information presented on the map and is preferred by the public; (ii) the color scale determines how people perceive the spatial risk; and (iii) personal factors influence people's interpretation skills, risk perception, and intention to take action. Our study thus provides insights and recommendations on how to best design user-centered earthquake risk maps as a key outreach product to ensure their effective use by the public, consequently enhancing society's resilience to earthquakes in the long term.
“…A question that often arises is who is responsible to take preparedness actions. People who do not experience disasters often tend to believe that (regional) authorities and civil protection are responsible to ensure that communities are resilient to earthquakes (Nikkanen et al, 2023). This is supported by our findings that people indicated that the risk map is especially useful for emergency services/authorities and not for themselves.…”
Section: Insights For Information Campaignssupporting
confidence: 74%
“…Further, the lowest label of the legend should not be "no risk" but rather "very low risk". Communicating that zero risk is impossible does not diminish the trust in risk management agencies, so there is no need to fear losing people's confidence in the information provided (Nakayachi, 1998).…”
Section: Insights For Information Campaignsmentioning
With seismic risk assessments becoming more available and reliable over the last years, the need to communicate seismic risk emerged. Seismic risk allows people to understand what impacts earthquakes can have and how they could affect their lives. In Switzerland, a nation-wide seismic risk model (ERM-CH23) was published in 2023 demanding sophisticated communication products to inform about its results. Since only limited research has been conducted on how to best communicate earthquake risk information to societies including the general public, key elements of the outreach activities were tested before the model release. To this end, we, an interdisciplinary group, conducted a nationwide survey in Switzerland in December 2022 to test different earthquake risk map designs by varying the color scale and the legend type. We analyzed the effects of the map and legend design on people's correct interpretation of the risk information, perceived usefulness, risk perception, and motivation to take action. Our survey revealed that (i) a legend with the combination of qualitative and quantitative labels leads to more accurate interpretations of the information presented on the map and is preferred by the public; (ii) the color scale determines how people perceive the spatial risk; and (iii) personal factors influence people's interpretation skills, risk perception, and intention to take action. Our study thus provides insights and recommendations on how to best design user-centered earthquake risk maps as a key outreach product to ensure their effective use by the public, consequently enhancing society's resilience to earthquakes in the long term.
“…Indeed, research into preparedness has documented that preparedness tends to increase after communities are affected by disaster (Kapucu, 2008). This is also what Nikkanen et al (2023) find in their contribution to this issue. The authors investigated what drives the feeling of responsibility for disaster preparedness between individuals and society in a large‐scale survey.…”
“…Integrating wider public participation could diversify perspectives and challenge the consensus, as well as contribute to the goal of whole-of-society vision of comprehensive security. In addition, strengthening the role of citizens could also boost their perception of responsibility regarding preparedness, and thus contribute to household preparedness [38].…”
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