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Citizen preparedness for disasters: are current assumptions valid?
Lori Uscher-Pines1, Anita Chandra, Joie Acosta
1RAND Corporation, Arlington, Virginia, USA. luscherp@rand.org
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
|June 16, 2012
Summary
US disaster preparedness messaging relies on unverified assumptions, not evidence. This study questions conventional wisdom in citizen preparedness promotion and measurement strategies.
Area of Science:
- Emergency management
- Public health communication
- Social science research
Background:
- Government disaster preparedness initiatives often assume citizen actions are based on evidence.
- Current messaging and surveys on household preparedness lack empirical validation.
- Conventional wisdom, rather than data, frequently guides public preparedness strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the underlying assumptions in US government programs for citizen disaster preparedness.
- To evaluate the effectiveness and basis of current public messaging on preparedness.
- To propose improved methods for conceptualizing and measuring citizen preparedness.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of government communications and programs related to citizen preparedness.
- Review of existing literature on disaster preparedness assumptions and measurement.
- Exploration of the gap between promoted preparedness activities and empirical evidence.
Main Results:
- Key assumptions underpinning citizen preparedness initiatives are largely untested and unverified.
- Despite extensive messaging, the promoted role for individuals is based on conventional wisdom, not data.
- Current methods for tracking household preparedness activities may not accurately reflect reality.
Conclusions:
- There is a critical need to validate assumptions in disaster preparedness strategies.
- Rethinking how citizen preparedness is conceptualized and measured is essential for effective public policy.
- Evidence-based approaches are required to enhance genuine community resilience.
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