Understanding and enhancing the public's behavioural response to flood warning information

Parker, Dennis J.; Priest, Sally J.; Tapsell, Sue M.

doi:10.1002/met.119

Cited by 197 publications

(183 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…It should also address emotions and raise the addressees' interest in the topic. As Parker et al (2009) claims, effective flood communication stimulates the addressees to wonder about their environment and to question their safety in it. Our data confirmed that the campaign motivated almost half of the respondents to talk about the topic in private circles.…”

Section: Raising Awareness Knowledge and Information Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raising risk preparedness by flood risk communication

Maidl

Buchecker

2015

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

107

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Abstract. During the last decade, most European countries have produced hazard maps of natural hazards, but little is known about how to communicate these maps most efficiently to the public. In October 2011, Zurich's local authorities informed owners of buildings located in the urban flood hazard zone about potential flood damage, the probability of flood events and protection measures. The campaign was based on the assumptions that informing citizens increases their risk awareness and that citizens who are aware of risks are more likely to undertake actions to protect themselves and their property.This study is intended as a contribution to better understand the factors that influence flood risk preparedness, with a special focus on the effects of such a one-way risk communication strategy. We conducted a standardized mail survey of 1500 property owners in the hazard zones in Zurich (response rate main survey: 34 %). The questionnaire included items to measure respondents' risk awareness, risk preparedness, flood experience, information-seeking behaviour, knowledge about flood risk, evaluation of the information material, risk acceptance, attachment to the property and trust in local authorities. Data about the type of property and sociodemographic variables were also collected.Multivariate data analysis revealed that the average level of risk awareness and preparedness was low, but the results confirmed that the campaign had a statistically significant effect on the level of preparedness. The main influencing factors on the intention to prepare for a flood were the extent to which respondents evaluated the information material positively as well as their risk awareness. Respondents who had never taken any previous interest in floods were less likely to read the material. For future campaigns, we therefore recommend repeated communication that is tailored to the information needs of the target population.

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Section: Raising Awareness Knowledge and Information Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raising risk preparedness by flood risk communication

Maidl

Buchecker

2015

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

107

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“…Older people in the United Kingdom also reacted more positively to a knock on their door by flood wardens than to some flood warning technologies (e.g. dial-and listen flood warning services), which they found less user-friendly (Parker et al 2009). …”

Section: Knowledge and Attitudinal/motivational Capacitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking social capacities and risk communication in Europe: a gap between theory and practice?

et al. 2012

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Although both improved risk communication and the building of social capacities have been advocated as vital ways to increase societies' resilience towards natural hazards across the world, the literature has rarely examined the ways in which these two concepts may integrate in theory and practice. This paper is an attempt to address this gap in a European context. It begins with a conceptual discussion that unites the literature on risk communication with the literature on social capacity building. We then use the insights from this discussion as a basis to conduct a review of 60 risk communication practices from across Europe. This review indicates a gap between theory and practice because, whilst the literature highlights the importance of integrated and coordinated communication campaigns featuring both a one-way transfer and a two-way dialogue between the public, stakeholders and decision-makers, the majority of the communication practices reviewed here appear to be relatively disparate initiatives that rely on one-way forms of communication. On the basis of these findings, we conclude by making some recommendations for the way in which such practices could be improved in order to be more supportive of social capacities across Europe. Keywords Risk communication Á Capacity building Á Participation Á Warning Á PreventionElectronic supplementary material The online version of this article

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“…It also suggests that property-level adaptation measures are insufficiently promoted, citing Harries" (2008a) finding that fewer than 6% of at-risk householders who have never been flooded have implemented even the simplest forms of such measures. Similarly, although awarenessraising and flood warnings have received significant investment, warning systems are seen as inadequate by flood victims (Parker et al, 2009) and two-fifths of residents of atrisk areas remain unaware that they are at risk (Harries 2008a). …”

Section: The Changing Policy Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%