Poster #21 - Cognitive Factors Impacting American People’s Preparedness for Terrorism Events

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

While American people have become increasingly vulnerable to terrorism events, only a minority of the population is well prepared. This highlights the importance of exploring the motivators that can drive them to adopt precautionary measures against potential terrorist attacks. However, most of the published studies on disaster preparedness focused on natural hazards rather than terrorist attacks. Little research has investigated the factors influencing individuals’ preparedness behaviors in the context of terrorism events. The present study utilizes data from the 2007-2008 National Survey of Disaster Experience and Preparedness to examine the possible cognitive factors that motivate American residents to take protective actions for future terrorist attacks. The results of a linear regression model suggest that preparedness of others or herding bias, the frequency of receiving information about terrorism serving as an indicator of amnesia bias, and trust in the local government are significant, positive predictors of the levels of terrorism preparedness among American residents. Additionally, older age and male gender are significantly correlated with higher levels of preparedness for terrorism. Surprisingly, although the respondents perceive terrorism-related risks to themselves as lower than risks to others, optimism bias is found insignificantly to be associated with their preparedness levels. Informed by the findings of this study, the local government may partner with leaders from terrorism-prone communities to regularly disseminate information about terrorism to remind the residents of previous terrorism events and motivate them and inexperienced residents to prepare for potential terrorist attacks. In the information, terrorism-related risks should be carefully framed to effectively enhance the residents’ risk perception. More importantly, the information should be shared through various channels and in different languages, including sign language, to ensure that residents from diverse cultures and backgrounds are informed. Workshops, forums, and other community events can be organized to help broaden the reach and impact of information dissemination efforts. Because of herding bias, the partnership between the local government and the community leaders can also increase terrorism preparedness among people who place less trust in the local government and its information, thereby improving overall community readiness for terrorism.

Author

• Sidi Cheng, Virginia Commonwealth University
  Presenting Author