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When disasters occur, they affect a community's educational institutions, yet students are still one of the most ignored groups of people when it comes to disaster preparedness. Demographic characteristics highly determine and influence the effects of a disaster; hence, when preparing for it, the students' demographic information should be considered. Little research exists in the literature that addresses the impacts of such characteristics on students' preparedness. Therefore, this study aims to identify the impacts of demographic information related to family income on students' perceptions of disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction (DRR) education. To fulfill this goal, a survey was conducted, and 111 responses were collected. Statistical analysis revealed a several intriguing conclusions. It was found that all of the students, irrespective of their family income, realize the necessity of DRR education and are willing to take the course if it is offered. Family income comes into play, however, when the resources of the DRR courses are discussed. Students with different family incomes have different perceptions regarding phycological first aid training and knowledge of disaster medicine included in DRR courses. It was found that family income has a significant impact on students' awareness regarding emergency procedures and communication systems offered by the university, as well as on students' confidence in assisting the university with disaster management during a disaster. This study will help educational institutions and practitioners develop DRR resources that will be best suited for the students with certain demographic characteristics.

Despite the growing interest in implementing shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) as a new mobility mode, there is still a lack of methodologies to unpack SAV adoption by individuals after experiencing self-driving vehicles. This study aimed to fill this gap by analyzing data collected from a users’ survey of a self-driving shuttle piloted downtown and on a university campus in Arlington, TX. Employing structural equation modeling, the hypothesized relationships between SAV adoption and key factors were tested. Data analyses indicated that individuals with limited access to a private vehicles, low-income people, young adults, university students, males, and Asians were more likely to ride this new service. Furthermore, results showed that SAV service attributes, including internal and external service performance and usual transportation mode, affected users’ willingness to continue using the service in the future. The study also highlighted the role of trip waiting time, -purpose, and -frequency on SAV adoption. Our model simultaneously considered usual transportation mode and trip frequency as factors that could mediate the role of vehicle ownership on SAV adoption. The results suggested that participants with greater access to a private vehicle were strongly interested in using private vehicles and less likely to use the ridesharing alternative, consequently they less frequently used the piloted SAV. The outcomes from this study are expected to inform planners with advanced knowledge about emerging technology to help them to adjust SAV policies before autonomous vehicle services are fully on the roads.

Students have long been among those most emotionally and physically affected by natural or manmade disasters, yet universities and colleges continue to lack effective disaster response and mitigation practices. This research identifies how students’ socio-demographics and disaster preparedness indicators (DPIs) impact their awareness of the dangers of disasters and their ability to survive and cope with the changes that disasters bring. A comprehensive survey was designed and distributed to university students to gain an in-depth understanding of their perceptions of disaster risk reduction factors. A total of 111 responses were received, and the impact of the socio-demographics and DPIs on the students’ disaster awareness and preparedness were evaluated by employing structural equation modeling. The results indicate that the university curriculum impacts the disaster awareness of students while the establishment of university emergency procedures impacts the disaster preparedness of students. The purpose of this research is to enable university stakeholders to identify the DPIs that are important to the students so that they can upgrade their programs and design effective DRR courses. It will also aid policymakers in redesigning effective emergency preparedness policies and procedures.

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