Perceptions of risk for volcanic hazards in Italy: a research note

While a considerable body of work concerning citizens’ perceptions of risk for volcanic hazards has been done in the United States and New Zealand, no comparable study has focused on residents near Italy’s two major volcanoes: Vesuvio and Etna. This survey study, involving 174 participants, focused on various measures of risk perception, feelings of personal vulnerability to the volcanic threat, and confidence in government officials’ preparedness for potential eruptions. Although it was expected that due to a recent eruption of Etna, residents there would have higher levels of perceived risk than those at Vesuvio, findings mostly demonstrated the reverse. Additionally, residents living in the highest risk areas at Vesuvio demonstrated low levels of awareness concerning evacuation plans and low levels of confidence in the success of such plans.