Earthquake risk perception in Bucharest, Romania

Area of Science:

• * Urban planning and disaster risk reduction
• * Social sciences and environmental psychology
• * Civil engineering and seismic resilience

Background:

• * Bucharest, a capital city, is identified as having one of the world's highest seismic risks.
• * Vulnerability factors include high population density, aging infrastructure, and inadequate civil protection and public education.
• * Previous research in 1997 established a baseline for seismic risk perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To examine the attitudes and perceptions of Bucharest residents regarding earthquake hazards.
• * To analyze how these perceptions differ based on demographic, socioeconomic, and risk-related variables.
• * To compare current findings with a 1997 study on seismic risk perception.

Main Methods:

• * Quantitative analysis of survey data on seismic risk perception.
• * Statistical processing to identify significant differences across independent variables (gender, age, education, etc.).
• * Comparative analysis with historical data from a 1997 survey.

Main Results:

• * Significant differences in seismic risk perception were found concerning gender, age, education, residential attachment, and perceived impact/recovery ability.
• * The aged population is identified as most vulnerable due to declining living standards.
• * A strong emotional attachment to a residential area can lead to risk neglect or denial.

Conclusions:

• * Demographic and psychological factors significantly influence the perception of seismic risk in Bucharest.
• * Targeted education and support are crucial, especially for vulnerable groups like the elderly.
• * Emotional ties to place can impede adequate risk awareness and preparedness.