Are you prepared? Efficacy, contextual vulnerability, and disaster readiness

Abstract

The United States experienced losses exceeding 305 billion USD in property damage and relief costs in 2017. While examining the impacts of disasters remains a pressing area of study, it is elemental to understand whether and how social and behavioral contexts relate to the ability to withstand a disaster. Informed by Albert Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and concepts of social vulnerability, we examine socio-cognitive and contextual factors associated with disaster preparedness in the U.S. through a quantitative analysis of cross-sectional data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's 2018 National Household Surveys. Building on previous scholarship, disaster preparedness is the dependent variable operationalized as a cumulative score and as two indicator variables: adequate and minimal preparedness. Weighted descriptive statistics describe the sample and ordinary least squares and logistic regression analyses test the association of preparedness with socio-cognitive measures of disaster related efficacy. Response efficacy was significantly associated with preparedness across cumulative and adequate preparedness, but not with minimal preparedness. Confidence in carrying out action, on the other hand, was consistently associated with being better prepared across all three operationalizations. Women householders were less prepared than men overall. African American and Asian respondents were both less likely than their White counterparts to have taken the steps to be considered at least minimally prepared. For disaster policies to remain equitable, administrators and organizers need to ensure resources are devoted to communities that have been historically disenfranchised. Our findings advance knowledge that has the potential to inform policy, practice, and research on pre-disaster interventions.