10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
[HDS07-P06] The influences of residents' cognitive and social context factors on disaster prevention behaviors in the assumed affected areas by the Tokyo metropolitan earthquake
Keywords:Disaster prevention behavior, Social context, Tokyo metropolitan earthquake
If the Tokyo metropolitan earthquake occurs, it is assumed that approximately 60% of Tokyo's 23 wards will experience a seismic intensity of upper 6 or higher, 194,400 buildings will be damaged and 6,150 people will die. Previous studies indicated that people's cognitive factors of disaster did not always lead to disaster prevention behaviors directly. This study investigates the effects of cognitive factors of earthquakes, but also social contexts i.e., the experience of victims, the presence of vulnerable family members, anxiety issues during a large earthquake, and housing issues, on disaster prevention behaviors.
This study was conducted as an online survey at the end of January 2023. Among pooled samples of a web survey company, our survey targeted residents who live in Tokyo's 23 wards i.e. assumed affected areas by a Tokyo metropolitan earthquake. We recruited a total of about 1000 respondents, based on the 8 segments' gender (male vs. female) × age (20s, 30s, 40s, 50 and over), and 1047 respondents participated in our survey. n = 779 (Male: 44%, female: 56%; Mage = 43.37, SD = 12.96) analysis samples were obtained by excluding respondents with extremely short or long response times, from the respondents.
The results showed that 92% of respondents expected a future occurrence of the Tokyo metropolitan earthquake. And 68% of them recognized the hazard map of earthquakes. People's anxiety issues during the earthquake were M = 4.76 (SD = 2.08) cases. The number of daily disaster prevention behaviors (maximum = 32) people took remained only M = 3.83 (SD = 4.38).
Next, a Bayesian GLM with Poisson distribution was conducted to predict daily disaster prevention behaviors, with demographic factors, cognitive factors, and social contextual factors as independent variables (Table 1). As a result, the older the age, the more behaviors they took (Figure_1_a). Unmarried people took more behaviors than married people (Figure_1_b). People with higher incomes were more likely to take disaster prevention behaviors (Figure_1_c). People who recognized a hazard map took more behaviors than those who did not (Figure_1_d). People with expectations of a Tokyo metropolitan earthquake took more behaviors than those without it (Figure_1_e). People who live with vulnerable family members were more likely to take behaviors (Figure_1_f). The more anxiety issues during a large earthquake, the more disaster prevention behaviors people took (Figure_1_g). People with experience of victims took more behaviors than those without it (Figure_1_h). House owners were more likely to take behaviors than non-house owners (Figure_1_i). On the other hand, people who felt insecure about quake resistance in their house took less disaster prevention behaviors than those who did not (Figure_1_j).
Our study indicated that the number of disaster prevention behaviors people took was limited to a small number, while most people have expected the future occurrence of a Tokyo metropolitan earthquake. Cognitive factors of the earthquake alone do not lead to disaster prevention behaviors. Our results indicated that demographic factors such as age and economical status and social contexts such as vulnerable family members, the experience of victims, anxiety issues, and owning a house are related to daily disaster prevention behaviors. Moreover, we found an ironic effect of insecurity about quake resistance in housing on behaviors. The problems of quake resistance of houses are not able to be solved immediately. This difficulty may weaken people's efficacy for disaster prevention and lead to decreased behaviors. Secure quake resistance of housing is important to promote disaster prevention behaviors. Thus, there is a limitation of disaster prevention literacy that focuses on people's cognitive factors. We suggest the necessity of designing multiple disaster prevention literacy that considers social contextual factors such as family settings and housing.
This study was conducted as an online survey at the end of January 2023. Among pooled samples of a web survey company, our survey targeted residents who live in Tokyo's 23 wards i.e. assumed affected areas by a Tokyo metropolitan earthquake. We recruited a total of about 1000 respondents, based on the 8 segments' gender (male vs. female) × age (20s, 30s, 40s, 50 and over), and 1047 respondents participated in our survey. n = 779 (Male: 44%, female: 56%; Mage = 43.37, SD = 12.96) analysis samples were obtained by excluding respondents with extremely short or long response times, from the respondents.
The results showed that 92% of respondents expected a future occurrence of the Tokyo metropolitan earthquake. And 68% of them recognized the hazard map of earthquakes. People's anxiety issues during the earthquake were M = 4.76 (SD = 2.08) cases. The number of daily disaster prevention behaviors (maximum = 32) people took remained only M = 3.83 (SD = 4.38).
Next, a Bayesian GLM with Poisson distribution was conducted to predict daily disaster prevention behaviors, with demographic factors, cognitive factors, and social contextual factors as independent variables (Table 1). As a result, the older the age, the more behaviors they took (Figure_1_a). Unmarried people took more behaviors than married people (Figure_1_b). People with higher incomes were more likely to take disaster prevention behaviors (Figure_1_c). People who recognized a hazard map took more behaviors than those who did not (Figure_1_d). People with expectations of a Tokyo metropolitan earthquake took more behaviors than those without it (Figure_1_e). People who live with vulnerable family members were more likely to take behaviors (Figure_1_f). The more anxiety issues during a large earthquake, the more disaster prevention behaviors people took (Figure_1_g). People with experience of victims took more behaviors than those without it (Figure_1_h). House owners were more likely to take behaviors than non-house owners (Figure_1_i). On the other hand, people who felt insecure about quake resistance in their house took less disaster prevention behaviors than those who did not (Figure_1_j).
Our study indicated that the number of disaster prevention behaviors people took was limited to a small number, while most people have expected the future occurrence of a Tokyo metropolitan earthquake. Cognitive factors of the earthquake alone do not lead to disaster prevention behaviors. Our results indicated that demographic factors such as age and economical status and social contexts such as vulnerable family members, the experience of victims, anxiety issues, and owning a house are related to daily disaster prevention behaviors. Moreover, we found an ironic effect of insecurity about quake resistance in housing on behaviors. The problems of quake resistance of houses are not able to be solved immediately. This difficulty may weaken people's efficacy for disaster prevention and lead to decreased behaviors. Secure quake resistance of housing is important to promote disaster prevention behaviors. Thus, there is a limitation of disaster prevention literacy that focuses on people's cognitive factors. We suggest the necessity of designing multiple disaster prevention literacy that considers social contextual factors such as family settings and housing.