A scoping review of seismic risk communication in Europe

Abstract

Although earthquakes are a threat in many countries and considerable resources have been invested in safety regulations, communities at risk often lack awareness and preparedness. Risk communication is a key tool for building resilient communities, raising awareness, and increasing preparedness. Over the past 2 decades, seismic risk communication has evolved significantly. This has led to a reorientation from a predominantly “one-way”, top-down communication model to the promotion of new models in which people, their needs, and their participation in disaster risk management are central elements. The 2015–2030 Sendai Framework recommendations, recent disaster experiences and research have highlighted that new models can improve communication effectiveness. In this paper, we critically explore this transition by conducting a scoping review (n=109 publications) of seismic risk communication in Europe. We analyse the approaches, messages, tools, and channels used for seismic risk communication and how they have changed over time. The results reveal that the stated goals of seismic risk communication are, in decreasing order, to share information, raise awareness, change behaviours/beliefs, and increase preparedness. Pupils, students, and citizens are the primary recipients of communication activities. Over the years, two trends have emerged. First, “two-way”, transdisciplinary and bottom-up communication models prevailed over the “one-way” model. Second, communication aimed more at promoting proactive behaviours than just informing the public. Face-to-face, hands-on activities, and serious games are key tools to engage with the public. The results also reveal the emerging role of social media to target different audiences/social groups. Strikingly, only one-fifth of the analysed publications explicitly build on or tests risk communication theories. Future research could focus on comparing practices across countries and risks (e.g., earthquakes and floods) and on innovating communication theories and methodologies, especially by incorporating the role of information technologies and social media.

Designing understandable, action-oriented, and well-perceived earthquake risk maps—The Swiss case study

“…Further, we show that the interest in risk products varies among different societal groups (e.g., homeowners, retired persons), which must be considered when designing effective communication campaigns. To keep the momentum of ongoing research on seismic risk communication (Musacchio et al, 2023), we motivate other research groups to share their expertise and experience in designing user-and actionoriented and understandable risk communication products.…”

“…Even though best practices in map design have shown to be transferable to other geographical regions and contexts, certain differences may arise. Consequently, it would be useful to conduct cross-cultural comparisons to evaluate, which design elements are universally effective and which factors lead to differences in the perception and understanding, by also considering theoretical concepts and theories of risk communication (Musacchio et al, 2023). Moreover, other design elements could also be varied, such as the depiction of political borders or more cities.…”

“…In comparison, research on earthquake risk communication is rare (e.g., Ickert and Stewart, 2016;Karjack et al, 2022), especially when designing earthquake risk maps. With our case study in Switzerland, we aim to contribute to ongoing research efforts on seismic risk communication (Musacchio et al, 2023), with a special focus on the product design of the first publicly available earthquake risk model of Switzerland (Papadopoulos et al, 2023;Wiemer et al, 2023).…”

Is Sea Level Rise a Known Threat? A Discussion Based on an Online Survey

“…The goal is not only to show and understand future SLR scenarios in specific localities, but also to disseminate scientific results to the public and foster best practice. Whatever the risk-related theories, frameworks and models one may choose for the implementation of risk communication, the understanding of what the public knows and/or think about a certain risk is mandatory, and yet not a common practice [11]. It allows us, for instance, to implement effective risk communication that encourages action by the general public to limit risks and choose preparedness.…”

Serious Games for Seismic Risk Education: The Case of the ENP-CP Project

“…Gamification is the integration of game elements into nongame contexts to engage, motivate, and educate users [1][2][3][4]. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in utilizing gamification in various fields, including disaster risk reduction (DRR) education [5]. The efficacy of disaster risk reduction is heavily contingent upon society's readiness and comprehension of risks [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”