Age, gender, and information seeking patterns following an urban bridge collapse (original) (raw)
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Communication Research Reports, 2010
Although past research suggests that media dependencies may be especially strong during crises and other times of uncertainty, little is known about gender differences in both information seeking and responses under these conditions. This study explores these differences using data collected from Minneapolis residents following the I-35W bridge collapse. Results do not support gender differences in information seeking, but indicate substantive differences in negative psychological responses. Recent research on rumination is offered as a potential explanation for these findings.
Gender and age effects on information-seeking after 9/11
Communication Research Reports, 2006
This study investigated the relationship between gender, age and information-seeking behavior after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, drawing on uncertainty reduction and placing the study in the framework of a crisis event. Surveys were collected from 1329 respondents from three different geographic regions in the United States between two and five days after the terrorist attacks. Results indicated that females regarded television and radio as more useful than males, while males reported the Internet as a ...
Progress in Disaster Science, 2021
While a long history of research in crisis communication has suggested sex differences in information seeking, little has addressed the underlying reasons why this may be the case. The current study examines information seeking behaviors in the time leading up to Hurricane Dorian, and suggests that these differences may be a function of ruminative processing tendencies. Sex differences in information seeking are moderated such that they attenuate at higher levels of rumination. Implications for our understanding of audience responses and emergency management are discussed, along with differences in sex role normalization that may play a factor in the observed data.
Psychological responses and coping strategies after an urban bridge collapse
Traumatology, 2010
Breakdowns in infrastructure can cause both physical and psychological harm. Examining the coping strategies of individuals and the subsequent results of those strategies can aid recovery workers and inform emergency practitioners on how to prepare to meet the needs of the general population in such an event. Following the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a self-report questionnaire was used to address the emotional state and coping behaviors of local residents. Consistent with prior work indicating that individuals respond to crisis-related stress with information seeking and other behaviors, the present study found that emotional distress in the period immediately following the collapse was related to the endorsement of a number of coping strategies. Furthermore, women reported experiencing higher levels of psychological distress than men and endorsed thinking and seeking information about the event more than men. Regardless of gender, thinking about the crisis was associated with a decrease in feelings of fright between the initial period after the crisis and several days after the event.
Learning From the Media in the Aftermath of a Crisis: Findings from the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
Electronic News, 2009
This study builds on previous examinations of social and mediated learning, expanding the scope to the context of crises. We argue that mediated learning might be particularly important during crisis both to ameliorate the negative emotional consequences of such events as well as to prompt the learning of information that might be important in future emergencies. Using data collected from Minneapolis, Minn., residents after the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge, we demonstrate that individuals might have the capacity to learn from the media in the midst of a crisis and that women report learning more than men from crisis media Correspondence should be addressed to Patric R. Spence,
Personal coping behaviors after an urban bridge collapse
Traumatology
Breakdowns in infrastructure can cause both physical and psychological harm. Examining the coping strategies of individuals and the subsequent results of those strategies can aid recovery workers and inform emergency practitioners on how to prepare to meet the needs of the general population in such an event. Following the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a self-report questionnaire was used to address the emotional state and coping behaviors of local residents. Consistent with prior work indicating that individuals respond to crisis-related stress with information seeking and other behaviors, the present study found that emotional distress in the period immediately following the collapse was related to the endorsement of a number of coping strategies. Furthermore, women reported experiencing higher levels of psychological distress than men and endorsed thinking and seeking information about the event more than men. Regardless of gender, thinking about the crisis was associated with a decrease in feelings of fright between the initial period after the crisis and several days after the event.
Atlantic Journal of Communication, 2023
A sizable body of research has explored information seeking processes during crises and disasters, including the ways in which people seek mediated information to help make sense of the event and take action. Much of this research has postulated that information seeking is used as a mechanism for stress reduction, and that sex differences exist in terms of information seeking and risk perceptions. The current study attempted to explicate these links in the context of the 2018 California wildfires. While evidence was found for differential patterns of information seeking across sex and degree of risk perception, evidence did not support the notion that aggregate information seeking leads to a reduction in stress. Alternative theoretical explanations for sex differences in crisis information seeking and stress responses are proposed and discussed, as are implications for crisis managers and emergency responders
An analysis of natural disaster-related information-seeking behavior using temporal stages
Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 2018
Since natural disasters can affect many people over a vast area, studying information-seeking behavior (ISB) during disasters is of great importance. Many previous studies have relied on online social network data, providing insights into the ISB of those with Internet access. However, in a large-scale natural disaster such as the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, people in the most severely affected areas tended to have limited Internet access. Therefore, an alternative data source should be explored to investigate disaster-related ISB. This study's contributions are twofold. First, we provide a detailed description of natural disaster-related ISB of people who experienced a large-scale earthquake and tsunami, based on analysis of written testimonies published by local authorities. This provided insight into the relationship between information needs, channels, and sources of disaster-related ISB. Also, our approach facilitates the study of ISB of people without Internet access both during and after a disaster. Second, we provide empirical evidence to demonstrate that the temporal stages of a disaster can characterize people's ISB during the disaster. Therefore, we propose further consideration of the temporal aspects of events for improved understanding of disaster-related ISB.
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2018
An individual's socioeconomic status can increase their vulnerability to, and ability to prepare for and recover in the aftermath of a disaster. People from low socioeconomic (LSE) backgrounds often face greater disaster risks, but are least prepared for disaster events due to a number of factors including a lack of housing affordability, low income and literacy levels. While there is an established relationship between a person's socioeconomic status and disaster vulnerability, very little is understood about the disaster information seeking needs and preferences of LSE population groups and how this affects their levels of disaster awareness. This paper addresses this gap through a comparative study of LSE and non-LSE population groups to identify key disaster information sources and how it shapes levels of disaster awareness. A survey of 224 residents was conducted, and multivariate regression analysis of both LSE and non-LSE respondents revealed a trend of disaster passivity in both population groups. English language proficiency, occupation, familiarity with the local environment are the most important factors influencing disaster awareness among the LSE population groups. For non-LSE population groups, disaster awareness is gender-dependent with females showing higher levels of awareness. Overall, television was the most trusted information source regardless of socioeconomic status. The results provide a better understanding of the underlying impact of socioeconomic status on disaster awareness and information seeking behaviour, which can assist practitioners and policy makers in making informed decisions on disaster mitigation strategies to reduce the disaster risk vulnerability of targeted population groups.