A Tale of Disaster Experience in Two Countries: Does Education Promote Disaster Preparedness in the Philippines and Thailand

Abstract

Preparing for a disaster can substantially minimize loss and damages from natural hazards.Amongst other socio-demographic determinants, disaster experience and education are foundto be key predictors of individual disaster preparedness. This paper explores the pathwaysthrough which education enhances disaster preparedness and the interplay between educationand experience in shaping preparedness behaviours. Data analysis is based on face-to-faceinterviews in two disaster-prone countries: the Philippines and Thailand. While education raisesthe propensity to prepare against disasters, we further find that the effect of education ondisaster preparedness is mainly mediated through social capital and disaster risk perception inThailand but there is no evidence that education is mediated through other observable channelsin the Philippines. This in turn suggests that the underlying mechanisms explaining theeducation effects are highly context-specific. Furthermore, we show that education raises disasterpreparedness only for the households that have not been affected by a disaster in the past.One explanation could be that education improves abstract reasoning and anticipation skillssuch that the better educated undertake preventive measures without needing to first experiencethe harmful event and then learn later.