Demographic, socio-economic and phycological perspective of risk perception from disasters caused by floods: case study Belgrade (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 2019
Taking into account that floods are a very common occurrence in the Republic of Serbia, as well as the fact that they directly endanger the life and health of people, their property and the environment, it is necessary to see into how an individual perceives the risk of a natural disaster caused by a flood. In accordance with what is mentioned earlier, the research on which this paper is based was conducted in the area of several Belgrade municipalities-Palilula, Zemun, New Belgrade, Old Town, Savski venac, Grocka and Čukarica, with a sample of 120 respondents and with the aim of examining the perception of risk among the citizens of Belgrade. The results of the research show that there is a correlation between demographic (gender, age and education), socioeconomic (property ownership and income levels) and psychological (fear and previous experience) factors with risk perception. Based on the results of the research and the knowledge gained, recommendations can be made that the competent authorities , institutions and organizations will be able to use in their educational activities, all with the aim of improving the perception of risk in the population. In this way, conditions are created for the implementation of preventive activities that can significantly reduce the consequences of natural disasters.
International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM), 2022
This paper presents quantitative research results regarding the influence of demographic factors on the earthquake risk perception of the citizens of Belgrade. This research aims to determine how much the citizens of Belgrade are aware of the risk and prepared to react in the event of an earthquake. The relationship between gender, age, level of education, and facility ownership with risk perception was examined. T-test, One-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to examine the relationship between the variables and the earthquake risk perception. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire that was given and then collected online among 235 Belgrade respondents during September 2020. The questions were divided into three categories. The first part of the questionnaire was consisted of general questions about the demographic characteristics of the respondents, then the questions that would determine the level of awareness of the respondents about earthquakes, and finally, the questions for determining the respondents' preparedness. The results of the research show that women have a higher perception of risk. It has been proven that the youngest respondents from the age category of 18-30 have the lowest risk perception. The influence of education level in no case showed a statistically significant correlation with risk perception.
VII International scientific conference Archibald Reiss Days
The aim of quantitative research is a scientific explication of the effects certain demographic, socio-economic and psychological citizens characteristics on citizens education in Serbia about floods. Precisely because during the whole 2015 in 19 of the 190 municipalities of the Republic of Serbia has been conducted a series of 2,500 face-to-face interviews. The study population consisted of all adult residents of the local communities in which floods occurred, and the sample size complied with the geographical and demographic size of the community. Results of the descriptive statistical analysis showed 24.9% of respondents were educated about natural disasters at school, 40.2% in the family, 29.9% at work, 39.9% of respondents know where elderly, disabled and infants live, 14% noted that they knew the risks of floods, etc. The research findings indicated that there is a statistically significant correlation between the level of knowledge about natural disasters and sex, age, marital status levels of education, fear of disaster, previous experience, income level. On another side, education at school, within the family, at work is statistically significantly associated with age, the level of education, marital status and employment status. Awareness of where elderly, disabled and infants live was not statistically significantly related to sex, the level of education, marital status and previous experience. The research indicates how to raise the level of citizens' knowledge starting from their demographic, socio-economic and psychological characteristics. The research originality lies in the uncharted impact of those factors on the citizens' knowledge about natural disasters in Serbia. The results can be used for the design of strategies to improve citizens' knowledge about the natural disasters caused by flooding.
Public perception of the urban pluvial floods risk-case study of Porec (Croatia)
Journal of the Geographical Institute Jovan Cvijic, SASA
Pluvial floods are rain-related floods that occur when water drainage is not fast enough due to heavy rainfall. One of the key components in the management of the urban pluvial flood risk (UPFR) is risk perception (RP). The objective of this paper was to define factors of RP based on the selected variables and to examine their reliability. Emphasis is placed on the contextualization of five factors related to cognition: awareness of the risk of pluvial floods (F1) and situation: anthropogenic causes of pluvial floods (F2), natural causes of pluvial floods (F3), consequences of pluvial floods in the future (F4), and preparedness for pluvial floods (F5). Furthermore, historical pluvial floods data were acquired from multiple sources and used to determine the distance of respondents' homes from frequently flooded places. The results showed that the questionnaire was consistent, i.e., factors are highly reliable. Significant differences were observed in the F2 regarding the gender o...
Public perception of flood risks, flood forecasting and mitigation
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 2005
A multidisciplinary and integrated approach to the flood mitigation decision making process should provide the best response of society in a flood hazard situation including preparation works and post hazard mitigation. In Slovenia, there is a great lack of data on social aspects and public response to flood mitigation measures and information management. In this paper, two studies of flood perception in the Slovenian town Celje are represented. During its history, Celje was often exposed to floods, the most recent serious floods being in 1990 and in 1998, with a hundred and fifty return period and more than ten year return period, respectively. Two surveys were conducted in 1997 and 2003, with 157 participants from different areas of the town in the first, and 208 in the second study, aiming at finding the general attitude toward the floods. The surveys revealed that floods present a serious threat in the eyes of the inhabitants, and that the perception of threat depends, to a certain degree, on the place of residence. The surveys also highlighted, among the other measures, solidarity and the importance of insurance against floods.
PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS OF THE FLOODS. PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDES
The study approaches the problematic of psychosocial effects of the floods, a topic with few researches in Romania, in three different areas in the country seriously affected by the floods occured in the past years. The research design includes the investigation of the inhabitants (the interview through focus groups) and local authorities (the method of the questionnaires), the data processing being realized through qualitative interpreting methods and through the statistical method -the descriptive graphic. Three main themes are proposed and developed, as follows: (i) causes of the disaster, warning systems and intervention plans; (ii) the authorities' reaction and (iii) the citizens' reaction. The results' study demonstrates significant differences of the perception and in the attitudes between the inhabitants and the local authorities, the relationships gap between them. As main causes of the floods and of the consequent losses, the inhabitants indicated the weak reaction of the authorities and the bad management of the hydrological resources while the authorities invoked the meteorological factors, thus covering up their own responsibilities. Regarding the existence and knowledge of the intervention plans in case of a disaster it is evident the formalism in the authorities' reaction and in creating and applying the intervention plans with definite roles and responsibilities. Regarding the authorities' reaction the inhabitants considers it as "slow and non-transparent" while the authorities invoked a big lack of means at the local level. The results of the third theme demonstrates that the population was often unprepared and its reaction is slow while the authorities have the tendency to "underestimate" the community and to ignore its selforganizing potential, considering that the individual reaction of the inhabitants didn't even exist and that they were all waiting for help. We consider that the communities should benefit from a serious training regarding how to face such calamities. A better communication between the authorities and the community would be ideal; it should also take into account the psychoemotional factors manifested during such crisis situations. Among the possible solutions and approaches of the disasters, besides drawing a holistic model having as main point the "Plan to prepare the community for a disaster", we also have the option of rebuilding the community spirit and the local solidarity.
EARTHQUAKE RISK PERCEPTION IN BELGRADE: IMPLICATIONS FOR DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT
International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 2022
This paper presents quantitative research results regarding the influence of demographic factors on the earthquake risk perception of the citizens of Belgrade. This research aims to determine how much the citizens of Belgrade are aware of the risk and prepared to react in the event of an earthquake. The relationship between gender, age, level of education, and facility ownership with risk perception was examined. T-test, One-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to examine the relationship between the variables and the earthquake risk perception. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire that was given and then collected online among 235 Belgrade respondents during September 2020. The questions were divided into three categories. The first part of the questionnaire was consisted of general questions about the demographic characteristics of the respondents, then the questions that would determine the level of awareness of the respondents about earthquakes, and finally, the questions for determining the respondents' preparedness. The results of the research show that women have a higher perception of risk. It has been proven that the youngest respondents from the age category of 18-30 have the lowest risk perception. The influence of education level in no case showed a statistically significant correlation with risk perception.
THE IMPACT OF AGE ON FLOOD PREPAREDNESS IN SERBIA
THE IMPACT OF AGE ON FLOOD PREPAREDNESS IN SERBIA, 2016
The aim of the study was to examine the effect of age on the preparedness of Serbian citizens to respond to a natural disaster caused by the flood in the country. Taking all Serbia’s municipalities into account in which a risk of flooding persists, nineteen of them were selected randomly for the research in which, using a multi-stage random sample survey, 2.500 citizens in areas/households that are more vulnerable in relation to the hundred-year high waters or potential risk were interviewed. The research results indicated that there was a statistically significant correlation between the age of respondents and a number of variables associated with the preparedness of citizens to respond to the natural disaster. The research originality lies in the fact that in Serbia the research of examining the state of citizens’ preparedness to respond to a disaster has never been conducted. The results can be used to create a strategy for improving the level of preparedness of citizens to respond to sudden environmental changes. The research indicated the way of Serbian citizens’ response with regard to their ages in order to raise the preparedness to a higher level.
The fear of natural disaster caused by flood
The subject of quantitative research is a determination of fear level of natural disaster caused by flood and examination its relationships with demographic and socio-economic characteristics of citizens. The aim of such research is a scientific explanation relationships nature of these characteristics and fear. In order to realize research, randomly was selected nineteen communities in which was surveyed 2,500 persons in 2015. On that occasion, it was applied test strategy in households for the application of the multi-stage random sample. According to the survey, 49.7% of respondents said they feel fear, 16.1% were not sure, and 33.2% do not feel the fear of natural disasters caused by flooding. In addition, the results indicate that there is a statistically significant correlation between the fear to sex, age, education, marital status, employment status, income level, swimming abilities and the type of ownership of the facility in which to live, until such a relationship does not exist with level of religiosity and success in high school. Social and scientific justification of the research arising from the necessity to examine the situation and the level of citizens' fear of natural disaster caused by flood with a view to taking some proactive measures aimed to offset the fear by taking certain measures of preparedness to react in such situations. The research results might be used in planning the psychological help and support to citizens in the stages of preparation, response and recovery from natural disasters.
Dependence of flood risk perceptions on socioeconomic and objective risk factors
Water Resources Research, 2009
This study examines flood risk perceptions of individuals in the Netherlands using a survey of approximately 1000 homeowners. Perceptions of a range of aspects of flood risk are elicited. Various statistical models are used to estimate the influence of socioeconomic and geographical characteristics, personal experience with flooding, knowledge of flood threats, and individual risk attitudes on shaping risk belief. The study shows that in general, perceptions of flood risk are low. An analysis of the factors determining risk perceptions provides four main insights relevant for policy makers and insurers. First, differences in expected risk are consistently related to actual risk levels, since individuals in the vicinity of a main river and low-lying areas generally have elevated risk perceptions. Second, individuals in areas unprotected by dikes tend to underestimate their risk of flooding. Third, individuals with little knowledge of the causes of flood events have lower perceptions of flood risk. Fourth, there is some evidence that older and more highly educated individuals have a lower flood risk perception. The findings indicate that increasing knowledge of citizens about the causes of flooding may increase flood risk awareness. It is especially important to target individuals who live in areas unprotected by dike infrastructure, since they tend to be unaware of or ignore the high risk exposure faced.