Temperate zones including the UK and mainland Europe continue to be exposed to
increasing temperatures and more frequent heatwaves as global warming continues.
The built environment can mitigate the risk and recommendations for precautionary
actions have been published by government and others. A key player in improving
resilience is the householder, who determines whether precautionary measures will be
installed in their home. Previous research on flooding has applied Protection
Motivation Theory to examine determinants of householder engagement. However,
flooding risks differ from those of overheating in several ways. The current study
builds on this work to address the gap on understanding householder propensity to
install precautionary measures against overheating. A large-scale survey (n = 1,007)
of householders was conducted in the south of England. The findings show that
householders are ill-prepared to deal with predicted temperature rises. While
perception of threat risk and severity has an influence on their intention to take action,
their appraisal of their ability to make changes, of the effectiveness of the changes and
of convenience are stronger factors, particularly for flat dwellers. Policy
recommendations include raising awareness of specific measures for mitigation and
of effectiveness of recommended actions, and targeting older householders
