Designing floods risk messages to motivate adaptive behaviours
Designing floods risk messages to motivate adaptive behaviours
Effective risk communication is a vital part of natural hazard preparedness and risk management. Previous studies show that when individuals are faced with a forthcoming natural hazard (e.g., flood), the content and presentation of warning messages within risk communication systems can either strengthen or weaken the receivers’ intention to perform the desired preparatory behaviours. Furthermore, evidence suggests that existing risk communication approaches have often been ineffective at cultivating disaster risk awareness or motivating adaptive behaviours. More specifically, there has been a lack of research on how variations in the content of action guidance (detailed v. vague) and the framing (negative v. positive) of warning messages influence the recipient’s intention to prepare for natural hazards, particularly for floods in developing countries. To address this issue, we conducted a study with Jordanian participants (N = 378) that measured the influence of perceived risk, level of message detail, and message framing on the willingness to prepare for a flood. The results revealed a significant increase in the participant’s intention to prepare for a flood when the warning message (i) included detailed (cf. vague) guidance on flood preparation actions and (ii) described the outcome of preparation actions in a negative (cf. positive) frame. Moreover, it was identified that participants’ risk perceptions increased when the messages were detailed (cf. vague), and that there was a positive relationship between the perceived risk of a flood and the willingness to prepare for it. The results of this study enable us to provide disaster risk management authorities (e.g., Jordanian General Directorate of Civil Defence [GDCD]) with important insights into how flood risk communications could become more effective in influencing the willingness of citizens to prepare against future floods.
risk communication, natural hazards, Framing effects, risk perception, decision making
Dawson, Ian
dff1b440-6c83-4354-92b6-04809460b01a
Gammoh, Leen
38201445-2a12-4458-b375-4edb5c3e37b2
Katsikopoulos, Konstantinos
b97c23d9-8b24-4225-8da4-be7ac2a14fba
6 September 2023
Dawson, Ian
dff1b440-6c83-4354-92b6-04809460b01a
Gammoh, Leen
38201445-2a12-4458-b375-4edb5c3e37b2
Katsikopoulos, Konstantinos
b97c23d9-8b24-4225-8da4-be7ac2a14fba
Dawson, Ian, Gammoh, Leen and Katsikopoulos, Konstantinos
(2023)
Designing floods risk messages to motivate adaptive behaviours.
European Safety and Reliability Conference 2023, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
03 - 07 Sep 2023.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Other)
Abstract
Effective risk communication is a vital part of natural hazard preparedness and risk management. Previous studies show that when individuals are faced with a forthcoming natural hazard (e.g., flood), the content and presentation of warning messages within risk communication systems can either strengthen or weaken the receivers’ intention to perform the desired preparatory behaviours. Furthermore, evidence suggests that existing risk communication approaches have often been ineffective at cultivating disaster risk awareness or motivating adaptive behaviours. More specifically, there has been a lack of research on how variations in the content of action guidance (detailed v. vague) and the framing (negative v. positive) of warning messages influence the recipient’s intention to prepare for natural hazards, particularly for floods in developing countries. To address this issue, we conducted a study with Jordanian participants (N = 378) that measured the influence of perceived risk, level of message detail, and message framing on the willingness to prepare for a flood. The results revealed a significant increase in the participant’s intention to prepare for a flood when the warning message (i) included detailed (cf. vague) guidance on flood preparation actions and (ii) described the outcome of preparation actions in a negative (cf. positive) frame. Moreover, it was identified that participants’ risk perceptions increased when the messages were detailed (cf. vague), and that there was a positive relationship between the perceived risk of a flood and the willingness to prepare for it. The results of this study enable us to provide disaster risk management authorities (e.g., Jordanian General Directorate of Civil Defence [GDCD]) with important insights into how flood risk communications could become more effective in influencing the willingness of citizens to prepare against future floods.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: 6 September 2023
Venue - Dates:
European Safety and Reliability Conference 2023, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, 2023-09-03 - 2023-09-07
Keywords:
risk communication, natural hazards, Framing effects, risk perception, decision making
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 482292
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/482292
PURE UUID: 3f6463c1-609c-4736-be1e-2ff07c8f1193
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 26 Sep 2023 16:36
Last modified: 27 Sep 2023 01:49
Export record
Contributors
Author:
Leen Gammoh
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
