Abstract

An individual's socio-economic status can increase their vulnerability to, and ability to prepare for and recover in the aftermath of a disaster. People from low socio-economic (LSE) backgrounds often face greater disaster risks, but are least prepared for disaster events due to a number of factors including a lack of housing affordability, low income and literacy levels. While there is an established relationship between a person's socio-economic status and disaster vulnerability, very little is understood about the disaster information seeking needs and preferences of LSE population groups and how this affects their levels of disaster awareness. This paper addresses this gap through a comparative study of LSE and non-LSE population groups to identify key disaster information sources and how it shapes levels of disaster awareness. A survey of 224 residents was conducted, and multivariate regression analysis of both LSE and non-LSE respondents revealed a trend of disaster passivity in both population groups. English language proficiency, occupation, familiarity with the local environment are the most important factors influencing disaster awareness among the LSE population groups. For non-LSE population groups, disaster awareness is gender-dependent with females showing higher levels of awareness. Overall, television was the most trusted information source regardless of socio-economic status. The results provide a better understanding of the underlying impact of socio-economic status on disaster awareness and information seeking behaviour, which can assist practitioners and policy makers in making informed decisions on disaster mitigation strategies to reduce the disaster risk vulnerability of targeted population groups.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.