Geographic location or experience: Using PRISM to understand how people seek flood risk information

Abstract

Flooding is increasing worldwide, and with climate change, people need help understanding these changing conditions and that their flood risk may also change. This study extends the planned risk information seeking model (PRISM) into the flood risk domain and examines the antecedents that explain flood risk information seeking behavior. Using a survey reflective of the population in the state of Texas (N = 1079), this study includes an operationalization of risk perception specific to the complexity of floods and explores two key moderators in the PRISM model. Findings suggest that using PRISM to elaborate flood risk information seeking behaviors explains 48% of the variance in information seeking intent and 37% of the variance in affective risk perception. Using multigroup modeling, the findings also reveal that simply living in an area at high risk for floods does not significantly impact any relationships in the model. However, having experience with flooding increases the strength of risk perception paths—in particular, perceived probability of flood risk—and better explains flood risk information seeking. Suggestions for how to use communication to influence risk perceptions and information seeking, as well as future directions for research, are also discussed.

Moving toward community preparedness efficacy: Uncovering barriers in communities disproportionately impacted by flooding

“…Self‐efficacy and outcome expectations are key predictors of taking response actions (McCaffrey et al, 2018; Tasantab et al, 2022). Self‐efficacy and perceived control over outcomes also play a vital role in whether members engage in coping efforts to improve their situation (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Stephens et al, 2023). Thus, our findings extend CET by revealing the intricate interaction between social justice, equity, and trust in the government, and how these factors affect community members' self‐ and response efficacy as well as feelings of empowerment.…”

“…For example, researchers have integrated PMT and TPB to evaluate preparation intention and disaster response in the context of typhoons (Kurata et al, 2022). Similarly, PRISM integrates TPB and RISP to better understand what brings people to seek risk‐related information and what they do with the information afterward across various contexts (Kahlor, 2010; Stephens et al, 2023). These theoretical models have been extensively applied to research related to environmental disaster events such as floods, wildfires, and earthquakes (Botzen et al, 2019; Lindell & Perry, 2012; Stephens et al, 2022; Westcott et al, 2017; Weyrich et al, 2020).…”

Tell don’t ask: how to use social media to mobilise local collective climate action

“…Cardiff is prone to greater flood risk and damage compared to Birmingham and Oxford 36 . However, research finds that simply living in a flood risk region does not necessarily impact behaviour 44 . Instead, personal experience of climatic events 6 , including flooding 45 , may be associated with higher risk perception and action.…”

Do 360‐character Wireless Emergency Alert messages work better than 90‐character messages? Testing the risk communication consensus

“…In risk‐reduction literature, especially outside the disaster context, milling has been conceptualized as information seeking, which can be more adaptive than avoiding or not seeking information (e.g., Bigsby et al, 2022; Gutteling & de Vries, 2017). In prior research, unfamiliarity with a risk (So et al, 2019) and prior experience with a risk (Stephens et al, 2022) both prompted information seeking. In practice, the propensity to mill is a potential asset.…”