This report by the Department of Public Policy at the University of Connecticut discusses the findings from a survey of residents nationwide regarding how they perceive risk and disasters. A focus of this report is on the differences between coastal and non-coastal residents concerning disaster preparedness and perceived risk. The majority of respondents believed that their past experience enables them to “bounce back” after a disaster occurs and they are overall more worried about the safety of their families than their materialistic items and employment. When asked if the creation of a law would induce higher likelihood of preparedness, the majority stated yes. Coastal residents are more likely to blame procrastination for not preparing for a disaster than non-coastal residents, who tend to be in denial that they can experience a disaster and thus think preparing is not worth their time. Coastal residents were found to be both more concerned about and prepared for natural disasters than non-coastal residents. Additionally, they were found to be in greater support of government initiatives that would increase disaster preparedness. Yet, even though coastal residents feel more prepared and concerned, they were less likely to behave according to government regulations than non-coastal residents. This is perhaps due to coastal residents having increased disaster experience.
