Public education about ShakeAlert® earthquake early warning: evaluation of an animated video in English and Spanish

Abstract

ABSTRACT Publicly available technologies are only truly ‘public’ if people are aware of them and know how to use them. In the US, significant resources have been devoted to public education around the recently released ShakeAlert® earthquake early warning (EEW) system operated by the U.S. Geological Survey; however, those efforts have been inconsistently evaluated, leaving educators and communicators with questions about their effectiveness, particularly for engaging broad, diverse, and multilingual publics. This mixed methods, dual-language (English/Spanish) study addresses this gap by examining an animated video designed to increase awareness, understanding, and action related to ShakeAlert EEW. Results indicate that the video was enjoyable, easily understandable, and positively impacted viewers’ intentions to ‘Drop, Cover, and Hold On’ (DCHO) following a ShakeAlert-powered alert. Viewers also expressed a desire for more information about how to receive alerts and how to protect themselves in situations where DCHO is impractical. This study suggests that animated video, developed and disseminated in multiple languages, can be an effective tool for impacting public understanding and behavior related to geohazards. Additionally, the process and findings of this study suggest that outcomes may be improved by engaging multilingual and multicultural audiences earlier and throughout the video development process.