The Seismic Risk Perception Questionnaire

Abstract

Communication of natural hazards and their consequences are among the more relevant ethical issues faced by scientists. In the last years social studies evidenced that risk communication is strongly influenced by risk perception of citizens. A theory of risk perception that offers an integrative approach to understanding and explaining risk perception is still missing. To explain risk perception is necessary to consider several perspectives: social, psychological, cultural, and their interactions. In our opinion the method of semantic differential is one of the most suitable to understand all its aspects. The questionnaire on seismic risk perception has been constructed by this method. The questionnaire consists of an informative part and seven sections respectively dedicated to: hazard; vulnerability (home and workplace); exposure; institutions and community; earthquake phenomenon; risk information and their sources; comparison between seismic risk and other natural hazards. The questionnaire allows to obtain the perception score for each factor: Hazard, Exposure, Vulnerability, Institutions and Community, Earthquake phenomenon. On January 2013 started the first survey in Italy, preliminary data are discussed. By improving our knowledge about the seismic risk perception would allow us to plan in advance activities for seismic risk mitigation and more effectively strategies for risk communication