松川 杏寧

In this study, we analyzed data collected from an internet survey targeting Japanese citizens on the Scale of Attitude toward Culture of Living with Disaster Risk (SAC-LDR), which was proposed in our previous study. The scale quantifies respondents’ attitude toword living with nature and its risks, to examine how the SAC-LDR scores are affected by the respondents’ attributes, such as age or lifestyle, and frequency distributions and correlations between variables. We found that: (1) the SAC-LDR scores had a mean value of 41.1 out of 60 and displayed not a completely normal distribution, but a distribution with slightly long left tail; (2) the SAC-LDR scores had a high correlation with the Power to Live with Disasters, which represents individual traits favorable to surviving through disasters; and (3) the SAC-LDR scores displayed regional differences within Japan.

This study elaborates on the measures to improve preparedness for natural disasters by elucidating the present situation of preparedness for natural disasters at home in Japan as well as the effective factors to promote such preparedness. An Internet monitoring survey was conducted throughout Japan, and valid responses (n=1,599) were obtained. To measure preparedness for natural disasters at home, we used 31 items, including the ones in the “public opinion poll on disaster management” conducted by the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan. The Internet monitoring survey revealed that approximately 30% of the respondents arranged for articles they may require in the event of a disaster and had contemplated their evacuation actions immediately after a disaster. The Internet monitoring survey results were compared with the results of the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan’s public opinion poll. It revealed that the internet monitoring survey results better represent the tendency of the Japanese people as a whole. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine six independent variables—age, marital status, prior disaster experience, awareness of hazard maps, disaster imminence, and communal exchanges—statistically significant as effective factors to improve preparedness for natural disasters at home. Particularly, considering a large standardizing coefficient (β) for awareness of hazard maps, it is proposed that the most effective measure to improve preparedness for natural disasters at home to comprehend the risks posed to one’s community and own house is by using the opportunities of disaster prevention education and drill rather than simply viewing the hazard maps aimlessly.

In this study, we analyzed data collected from an internet survey targeting Japanese citizens on the Scale of Attitude toward Culture of Living with Disaster Risk (SAC-LDR), which was proposed in our previous study. The scale quantifies respondents’ attitude toword living with nature and its risks, to examine how the SAC-LDR scores are affected by the respondents’ attributes, such as age or lifestyle, and frequency distributions and correlations between variables. We found that: (1) the SAC-LDR scores had a mean value of 41.1 out of 60 and displayed not a completely normal distribution, but a distribution with slightly long left tail; (2) the SAC-LDR scores had a high correlation with the Power to Live with Disasters, which represents individual traits favorable to surviving through disasters; and (3) the SAC-LDR scores displayed regional differences within Japan.

This study elaborates on the measures to improve preparedness for natural disasters by elucidating the present situation of preparedness for natural disasters at home in Japan as well as the effective factors to promote such preparedness. An Internet monitoring survey was conducted throughout Japan, and valid responses (n=1,599) were obtained. To measure preparedness for natural disasters at home, we used 31 items, including the ones in the “public opinion poll on disaster management” conducted by the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan. The Internet monitoring survey revealed that approximately 30% of the respondents arranged for articles they may require in the event of a disaster and had contemplated their evacuation actions immediately after a disaster. The Internet monitoring survey results were compared with the results of the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan’s public opinion poll. It revealed that the internet monitoring survey results better represent the tendency of the Japanese people as a whole. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine six independent variables—age, marital status, prior disaster experience, awareness of hazard maps, disaster imminence, and communal exchanges—statistically significant as effective factors to improve preparedness for natural disasters at home. Particularly, considering a large standardizing coefficient (β) for awareness of hazard maps, it is proposed that the most effective measure to improve preparedness for natural disasters at home to comprehend the risks posed to one’s community and own house is by using the opportunities of disaster prevention education and drill rather than simply viewing the hazard maps aimlessly.

This study proposes a scale that measures the disaster resilience of individuals as members of a disaster-resilient society. We constructed the Disaster Resilience Scale for Individuals (DRSi) by using the survey data of 10,000 individuals across Japan, and extracting 8 factors from 24 items. The verification process shows that DRSi scores differ based on the respondents’ gender and area of residence, thus reflecting the impact of gender-based division of roles in Japan, and region-specific disaster experiences. We also propose a short version of the DRSi for the convenience of data collection. Furthermore, DRSi is expected to work as an effective tool for measuring resilience at the individual level to evaluate the impact of an intervention on a local community.