Factors Influencing Individual Disaster Preparedness Information Seeking Behavior: Analysis of US Households

Abstract

Although various scholars have investigated the different types of media that are used by the public to access disaster preparedness information, few studies have sought to understand what factors influence individuals to engage in specific types of disaster preparedness information-seeking behavior. Using a national sample of Americans, this study observed factors that influence the odds of an individual attending a meeting on disaster preparedness, speaking to others about preparedness, and individually seeking information about disaster preparedness in other ways. Based on a series of analyses, it is observed that an individual’s past experience with disasters influences several of these information-seeking behaviors. Moreover, individual characteristics such as gender, education level, income, and race/ethnicity are also observed to have varying effects. Subsequent to the analysis, recommendations for future research are provided to better understand disaster preparedness-seeking behavior, in addition to what disaster management organizations might consider in relation to these findings.