Yes, we can: motivate Dutch citizens to engage in self-protective behavior with regard to flood risks

Although the risk of flooding poses a serious threat to the Dutch public, citizens are not very inclined to engage in self-protective behaviors. Current risk communication tries to enhance these self-protective behaviors among citizens, but is nonetheless not very successful. The level of citizens engaging in self-protective actions remains rather low. Therefore, this research strives to determine the factors that might enhance or lessen the intention to engage in self-protection among citizens. The study was a 2 (flood risk: high vs low) × 2 (efficacy beliefs: high vs low) between subject experiment. It was conducted to test how varying levels of flood risk and efficacy beliefs influence two different self-protective behaviors, namely information seeking and the intention to engage in risk mitigating or preventive behaviors. Furthermore, the relationship between information seeking and the intention to take self-protective actions was discussed. Results showed that high levels of flood risk lead to higher levels of both information seeking and the intention to engage in self-protective behaviors than low levels of flood risk. For efficacy beliefs, the same trend occurred. Also, results showed that information seeking seems to coincide with the intention to take preventive actions and acted as a mediator between the levels of perceived risk and efficacy and the intention to take self-protective actions

Current views on risk communication and their implications for crisis and reputation management

Organizations prepare for crisis communication by designing, implementing, and evaluating procedures, scenarios, and emergency measures. In addition to crisis communication, risk communication is a concern for many organizations as well. Risk communication is viewed as an interactive, multi-actor democratic process. Traditionally, risk communication is seen as a linear, top-down, elitist, expert-to-public approach. In this paper, the relation between crisis communication and risk communication is described. In addition, a model is presented based on the notion that crisis communication should be proactive, and focusing on the management of the relation between the organization and its relevant stakeholders or the organization’s reputation. The new thinking on the risk communication process is essential for an organization’s crisis and reputation management

The perception of flooding and water nuisance

In this paper we aim to gain insight in the determinants that control the risk perception of flooding and water nuisance by developing and validating a questionnaire. We also investigate to what extent the risk characteristics of external safety risks apply to perceptions of flooding and water nuisance. We use elements from the psychometric paradigm: risk perception characteristics and their interrelationships have been quantified by developing statements about flooding (38) and water nuisance (12), which were rated by respondents. The state-trait anxiety inventory was applied to determine whether perceptions are related to anxiety characteristics. A focus group session was organized to further explain our findings. Factor analyzing 49 questionnaires resulted in the identification of eight flooding factors (explained variance: 74%) and three water nuisance factors (explained variance: 62%). The internal consistency of the scales measured by Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.54 to 0.82. Like in the perception of external safety risks, ‘dread’ seems to be the most important concept binding different characteristics. Although dread towards both flooding and water nuisance is rather low, it seems more present in the latter case. We hypothesize cautiously that the extent of dread for water nuisance is also determined by the anxiety one experiences at that particular moment. In both cases awareness of ‘increasing risks’ is clearly present, and we find the characteristics ‘(no) dread’, ‘(un)controllable situation’ and ‘does not affect me’ to be related. Also the characteristic ‘risk-benefit trade off’ seems also to be related to ‘no dread’.

The role of expertise in risk communication:Laypeople’s and expert’s perception of the millennium bug risk in the netherlands

This paper focuses on the discussion of the role of expertise in risk communication. It describes empirical data on the risks posed by the Millennium bug in 1999 in the Netherlands. The study systematically examined the risk perception of both general public and computer experts with respect to the Millennium bug, assessing a potential discrepancy between the layman’s and the expert’s judgement, as has been observed in other risk areas. Two surveys were fielded, the first aimed at a random sample of the Dutch population (n = 253), the second at a sample of computer experts (n = 91). Results indicated that respondents did not perceive the Millennium bug to be a major threat. However, laypeople worried more, did see the issue as more personally risky, and did think the level of public awareness was higher than experts did. Computer experts felt more capable of taking mitigating actions than laypeople, and were more convinced that these actions were adequate. The implications of these findings for the role of expertise in risk communication are discussed

ESCAPE: A generic tool for enhanced scientific communication

General scope In order to enhance communication of research results as part of a network of actors in a particular field one wants to · relate relevant objects (documents, persons, institutions, projects, ... on the basis of content and describe/annotate these relations · communicate and present these aggregated objects for various target groups, not only scientists but also policy makers, journalists, companies, and the general public · enhance this communication by commenting and tagging related objects The tool ESCAPE is a tool in which users can aggregate digital objects stored at any location and describe, annotate, comment and tag the relations between these objects. The system not only allows formal relations (like bibliographic metadata) but especially "content relations" concerning topics, reviews, comments, discussions, applications, etc

ESCAPE: A generic tool for enhanced scientific communication

General scope In order to enhance communication of research results as part of a network of actors in a particular field one wants to · relate relevant objects (documents, persons, institutions, projects, ... on the basis of content and describe/annotate these relations · communicate and present these aggregated objects for various target groups, not only scientists but also policy makers, journalists, companies, and the general public · enhance this communication by commenting and tagging related objects The tool ESCAPE is a tool in which users can aggregate digital objects stored at any location and describe, annotate, comment and tag the relations between these objects. The system not only allows formal relations (like bibliographic metadata) but especially "content relations" concerning topics, reviews, comments, discussions, applications, etc