Earthquake Risk Perception and Mexico City's Public Safety

Abstract

The paper presents some results on seismic risk and other hazards perception of a sector of the public of Mexico City. The approach has been the application of a pre-test of an ‘instrument’ that has been designed for a much bigger field study. Some key findings are the following: a) the sector of the public surveyed considered seismic risk (33%) as the most worrying threat to their daily lives; this was followed by gas explosion (19%), crime (18%), fires (13%), volcanic eruptions (11%), & floods (6%); b) the preliminary results show that the participants do not have the culture of prevention in relation to seismic risk; and c) the participants (those who experienced the 1985 earthquake and those who did not) have not learned the basic lesson (as recommended by Civil Protection) not to immediately leave the building during the quake. More research is being undertaken to seismic risk perception and the public safety.