Risk messaging style and its effect on public preparedness for earthquakes: longitudinal intervention-based study

This study examines the effect of risk communication styles (fear-based versus empowerment-based) on households’ earthquake preparedness. An online longitudinal study with intervention and control groups was conducted using a representative sample of the adult population in Israel. The change in the reported level of preparedness was assessed through Repeated Measures ANOVA with interaction effects for both the risk communication style and gender. The Analysis revealed a significant difference in reported levels of earthquake preparedness over time (F(1.697,303.70) = 102.58, p < 0.001; partial η2 = 0.36). However, no statistically significant interaction was found with the risk communication style (p = 0.55). Borderline significance (p = 0.04) was observed in the three-way interaction (time-intervention-gender). Gender (β = 0.19), age (β = 0.21), perceived earthquake likelihood (β = 0.14), and sense of preparedness (β = 0.28) were significant predictors in multivariate regression analysis. While consistently showing that participants exposed to empowering information reported higher earthquake preparedness, the research hypothesis was not substantiated. Recommendations for public health policy are discussed.