Rethinking Risk Perception and its Importance for Explaining Natural Hazard Preparedness Behavior

In this study, respondents were randomly presented with one of five hypothetical cyclone scenarios, which differed in objective severity. Respondents were also presented with a survey, which assessed risk perception, protective action perceptions (or coping appraisal), and intentions to perform short-term protective behaviors. As hypothesized, risk perception significantly increased preparedness intentions when controlling for hazard severity, hazard probability, and protective action perceptions. Moreover, the degree to which respondents associated negative emotions with predicted damage was also a relatively strong predictor of preparedness intentions. Overall, the findings support the theoretical link between risk perception and protective behavior and provide a new method of assessing risk perception in cross-sectional research. On a practical level, the results suggest that increasing risk perception should promote protective behavior in response to natural hazards.

Source: Risk Analysis - July 5, 2021 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Mitchell Scovell, Connar McShane, Anne Swinbourne, Daniel Smith Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research