Quantitative Analysis of Young Adults' Level of Emergency Preparedness in New England

Download or read book Quantitative Analysis of Young Adults' Level of Emergency Preparedness in New England written by Todd C. Kaplan and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emergency preparedness is only effective when it efficiently reaches its audience. Otherwise, the communication is not only worthless, it is a waste of resources. In the New England region, threats vary from the severe winter weather incidents encountered every winter season to potential acts of terrorism. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of predictor variables (i.e., perceived risk, motivators to action, age, location, presence of children, sex, employment status, income, method of learning, technology use, and motivation) on the outcome variable of emergency preparedness (i.e., preparedness engagement, preparedness activity, and preparedness supplies) for individuals 18–35 years of age in the New England region of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. An e-survey was administered to 271 individuals who participated in the e-survey with 201 completing the survey in its entirety. The findings showed that perceived risk of man-made hazards (the perceived severity of disaster, the belief that emergency services will quickly become overwhelmed) as well as motivation for becoming prepared (having a need to take individual responsibility to be prepared, feeling it is appropriate to be prepared, and having knowledge of previous disasters) all led to significant positive correlations with emergency preparedness. Additionally, the presence of children in the household and method of learning about preparedness—through conversations with others and by messaging from FEMA—had significant relationships positively correlated with emergency preparedness. Finally, the use of television as a technology was found to be a statistically significant positive correlation with emergency preparedness (a composite of preparedness engagement, preparedness activity, and preparedness supplies). Emergency management officials and educators can use this understanding and the conclusions made in this study to connect further with young adults effectively in the modern, whole-community environment of emergency management.