Priming close social contact protective behaviors enhances protective social norms perceptions, protection views, and self-protective behaviors during disasters

Flood Risk and Preventive Choices: A Framework for Studying Human Behaviors

The topic of flood phenomena has always been of considerable importance due to the high risks it entails, both in terms of potential economic and social damage and the jeopardizing of human lives themselves. The spread of climate change is making this topic even more relevant. This work aims to contribute to evaluating the role that human factors can play in responding to critical hydrogeological phenomena. In particular, we introduce an agent-based platform for analyzing social behaviors in these critical situations. In our experiments, we simulate a population that is faced with the risk of a potentially catastrophic event. In this scenario, citizens (modeled through cognitive agents) must assess the risk they face by relying on their sources of information and mutual trust, enabling them to respond effectively. Specifically, our contributions include (1) an analysis of some behavioral profiles of citizens and authorities; (2) the identification of the "dissonance between evaluation and action" effect, wherein an individual may behave differently from what their information sources suggest, despite having full trust in them in situations of particular risk; (3) the possibility of using the social structure as a "social risk absorber", enabling support for a higher level of risk. While the results obtained at this level of abstraction are not exhaustive, they identify phenomena that can occur in real-world scenarios and can be useful in defining general guidelines.

Assessing Perception of Wildfires and Related Impacts among Adult Residents of Southern California

Major wildfires and their smoke pose a threat to public health and are becoming more frequent in the United States, particularly in California and other populated, fire-prone states. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how California residents view wildfires and engage in risk-reducing behaviors during wildfire events. Currently, there is a knowledge gap concerning this area of inquiry. We disseminated a 40-question cross-sectional survey to explore wildfire perception and knowledge along with related risk-reducing measures and policies among 807 adult residents in the fire-prone region of Orange County, California. Results demonstrated that nearly all (>95%) participants had (or knew someone who had) previously experienced a wildfire. Female gender, knowing a wildfire victim and reporting to have a general interest/passion for environmental issues were the three factors most strongly associated with (1) wildfires (and smoke) being reported as a threat, (2) participants' willingness to evacuate if threatened by a nearby wildfire, and (3) participants' willingness to support a wildfire-related tax increase (p < 0.05). The majority (57.4%) of participants agreed that the occurrence of wildfires is influenced by climate change, with the most commonly reported risk-reducing actions (by 44% of participants) being informational actions (e.g., tracking the news) rather than self-motivated physical safety actions (e.g., using an air purifier) (29%). The results of this study can help to inform decision- and policy-making regarding future wildfire events as well as allow more targeted and effective public health messaging and intervention measures, in turn helping to reduce the risk associated with future wildfire/smoke episodes.