Cognitive Interview Validation of a Novel Household Hazard Vulnerability Assessment Instrument

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Weather and climate disasters cause significant US deaths, morbidity, and economic costs.
• Profound racial disparities exist in disaster impacts and vulnerability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel survey instrument for household hazard vulnerability.
• To address and identify racial bias in disaster data collection and survey item interpretation.

Main Methods:

• Conducted cognitive interviews with transdisciplinary expert panelists from diverse US regions.
• Qualitatively analyzed interview recordings using thematic and pattern coding.
• Oversampled participants with Black and/or African American, biracial, or multiracial identities to prevent representation bias.

Main Results:

• Identified 379 unique instances of linked disaster-related terms.
• Revealed potential racial bias in data collection for specific disaster types (e.g., water dam failure, evacuation).
• Found that some survey items (e.g., radiation exposure, trauma) were not interpreted as intended.

Conclusions:

• Potential for racial bias necessitates revision of survey items for disaster vulnerability assessments.
• Commonalities in cognitive processes can inform future individual and household-level disaster research.
• Addressing racial bias is crucial for equitable disaster preparedness and response.