Residents' Reactions to Earthquake Early Warnings in Japan.

This article empirically examines the effectiveness of earthquake early warning (EEW) in Japan based on experiences of residents who received warnings before earthquake shaking occurred. In Study 1, a survey (N = 299) was conducted to investigate residents' experiences of, and reactions to, an EEW issued in Gunma and neighboring regions on June 17, 2018. The main results were as follows. (1) People's primary reactions to the EEW were mental, not physical, and thus motionless. Most residents stayed still, not for safety reasons, but because they were focusing on mentally bracing themselves. (2) Residents perceived the EEW to be effective because it enabled them to mentally prepare, rather than take physical protective actions, before strong shaking arrived. (3) In future, residents anticipate that on receipt of an EEW they would undertake mental preparation as opposed to physical protective actions. In Study 2, a survey (N = 450) was conducted on another EEW issued for an earthquake offshore of Chiba Prefecture on July 7, 2018. Results were in line with those of Study 1, suggesting that the findings described above are robust. Finally, given people's lack of impetus to undertake protective action on receipt of an EEW, this article discusses ways to enhance such actions.

Immediate behavioural responses to earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Hitachi, Japan.

This study examines people's immediate responses to earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Hitachi, Japan. Data collected from 257 respondents in Christchurch and 332 respondents in Hitachi revealed notable similarities between the two cities in people's emotional reactions, risk perceptions, and immediate protective actions during the events. Respondents' physical, household, and social contexts were quite similar, but Hitachi residents reported somewhat higher levels of emotional reaction and risk perception than did Christchurch residents. Contrary to the recommendations of emergency officials, the most frequent response of residents in both cities was to freeze. Christchurch residents were more likely than Hitachi residents to drop to the ground and take cover, whereas Hitachi residents were more likely than Christchurch residents to evacuate immediately the building in which they were situated. There were relatively small correlations between immediate behavioural responses and demographic characteristics, earthquake experience, and physical, social, or household context.

Salient beliefs about earthquake hazards and household preparedness.

Prior research has found little or no direct link between beliefs about earthquake risk and household preparedness. Furthermore, only limited work has been conducted on how people's beliefs influence the nature and number of preparedness measures adopted. To address this gap, 48 qualitative interviews were undertaken with residents in three urban locations in New Zealand subject to seismic risk. The study aimed to identify the diverse hazard and preparedness-related beliefs people hold and to articulate how these are influenced by public education to encourage preparedness. The study also explored how beliefs and competencies at personal, social, and environmental levels interact to influence people's risk management choices. Three main categories of beliefs were found: hazard beliefs; preparedness beliefs; and personal beliefs. Several salient beliefs found previously to influence the preparedness process were confirmed by this study, including beliefs related to earthquakes being an inevitable and imminent threat, self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, personal responsibility, responsibility for others, and beliefs related to denial, fatalism, normalization bias, and optimistic bias. New salient beliefs were also identified (e.g., preparedness being a "way of life"), as well as insight into how some of these beliefs interact within the wider informational and societal context.

COVID-19 vaccine intentions in Aotearoa New Zealand: Behaviour, risk perceptions, and collective versus individual motivations.

The global SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic presents a pressing health challenge for all countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). As of early 2022, NZ public health measures have reduced impacts of the pandemic, but ongoing efforts to limit illness and fatalities will be significantly aided by widescale uptake of available vaccines including COVID-19 booster doses. Decades of research have established a broad range of demographic, social, cognitive, and behavioural factors which influence peoples' uptake of vaccinations, including a large amount of research in the last two years focused on COVID-19 vaccination in particular. In this study, we surveyed people in New Zealand (N = 660) in May and June of 2021, at which point the vaccine had been made available to high-risk groups. We explored individual versus collective motivations, finding that people who were hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination scored lower on independent self-construals (how people define themselves) but higher on community identity, weaker but still positive perceived social norms, lower general risk of COVID-19 to New Zealanders and higher vaccine risk for both themselves and others, and lower response-efficacy both for personal and collective benefits. Overall, the findings suggest some benefit of collective over individual appeals, but that generally messaging to encourage vaccination should focus on conveying social norms, risk from COVID-19 broadly, and vaccine safety and efficacy.

The lived experience of hotel isolation and quarantine at the Aotearoa New Zealand border for COVID-19: A qualitative descriptive study.

Hotel-based Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) is a key public health intervention in Aotearoa New Zealand's (NZ) COVID-19 border control strategy for returning citizens and permanent residents. We aimed to investigate the experience of transiting through MIQ in NZ, to inform future refinements of this type of system. A qualitative thematic analysis method was utilised to explore experiences in depth with seventy-five individuals who had undergone MIQ in NZ between April 2020 and July 2021. Participants were interviewed by telephone or Zoom or completed an online qualitative questionnaire. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and coded; questionnaire responses were sorted and coded. All data were subjected to thematic analysis. Three main themes described the key elements of the participants' experience of MIQ that influenced their overall experiences: 1) The MIQ process, 2) MIQ Hotels, and 3) Individual experience. The variation in participants' overall experience of MIQ was strongly influenced by their perceptions of how well the MIQ process was managed (including communication, flexibility, and compliance with disease prevention and control measures); and the quality of the hotels they were allocated to (in particular hotel staff, meals and information). This valuable insight into the experience of individuals in NZ MIQ hotels can inform better planning, management and implementation of the MIQ process for NZ and adds to the literature of countries utilising such strategies to minimise the transmission of COVID-19, whilst protecting the wellbeing of those using the system.

Behavioral Response in the Immediate Aftermath of Shaking: Earthquakes in Christchurch and Wellington, New Zealand, and Hitachi, Japan.

This study examines people's response actions in the first 30 min after shaking stopped following earthquakes in Christchurch and Wellington, New Zealand, and Hitachi, Japan. Data collected from 257 respondents in Christchurch, 332 respondents in Hitachi, and 204 respondents in Wellington revealed notable similarities in some response actions immediately after the shaking stopped. In all four events, people were most likely to contact family members and seek additional information about the situation. However, there were notable differences among events in the frequency of resuming previous activities. Actions taken in the first 30 min were weakly related to: demographic variables, earthquake experience, contextual variables, and actions taken during the shaking, but were significantly related to perceived shaking intensity, risk perception and affective responses to the shaking, and damage/infrastructure disruption. These results have important implications for future research and practice because they identify promising avenues for emergency managers to communicate seismic risks and appropriate responses to risk area populations.