Who will survive in the next disaster? The associations between sociodemographics and typhoon protective behaviors

Abstract

Personal protective behaviors play an important role in disaster management because they can effectively reduce the damage caused by disasters. Understanding the relations and differences in protective behaviors among different social classes can help improve disaster management. This study conducted a street questionnaire survey in a typhoon-prone district of Hong Kong. Data were analyzed to understand how sociodemographic parameters (i.e., gender, age, education level, and income) influenced typhoon protective behaviors (i.e., preparedness before typhoons and emergency response during typhoons) of Hong Kong residents. The results showed that the level of preparedness of the respondents was low before the arrival of the typhoon. When the typhoon is approaching Hong Kong, they become more responsive. The higher the intensity of the typhoon, the higher the level of the adoption of emergency response. Among four sociodemographic parameters, only age and income significantly affected protective behaviors. This study supplements the existing literature on typhoon disaster management and provides a reference for improving typhoon disaster management in Hong Kong and other coastal cities affected by typhoons.