Publication

Abstract : The findings indicate that perceived trust among stakeholder community peer groups (family and friends) rather than among stakeholder political groups (local, State, and Federal Government) and broader social groups (employers, new media, nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations) is the key to the adoption of risk reduction measures. Households influence a substantial amount of financial assets by choosing to live in hazard-prone areas; and after choosing to live in hazard-prone areas, they choose whether or not to adopt preincident hazard adjustment. Peers (family and friends) are sources of information and social comparison. Employers influence household members’ safety through hazard adjustments that protect employees in the workplace. News media put environmental hazards on the public agenda and education those who have not had direct experiences with disasters. Nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations, including religious organizations, can provide information and resources to households in reducing their exposure to hazards. Even though peers (family and friends) are presumed to know less and thus be less trustworthy than the government and the new media, studies have shown they have more influence on survey respondents’ risk perceptions and adoption of hazard adjustments. This implies that in order to increase people’s adoption of protective measures, it is important to increase peers’ perceived hazard knowledge and trustworthiness. One way to achieve this objective would be to increase their knowledge through a hazard awareness program. Increasing the accuracy of people’s beliefs about their peers’ hazard knowledge would also increase their levels of trustworthiness and the adoption of hazard-adjustment measures. 3 figures and 25 references