Determinants of people's seismic risk perception: A case study of Malakand, Pakistan

Earthquakes around the globe are threatening both human lives and infrastructure. It is essential to assess risk perception of people to introduce appropriate disaster risk reduction strategies. This study aims to identify various factors influencing people's perceptions of earthquake risk. The survey was conducted in earthquake-prone sub-districts of Malakand. Using the random sampling method, 240 households were interviewed. The interviews were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires. The risk perception index was constructed using indicators extracted from the literature review. For identifying socioeconomic variables influencing risk perception, multivariate regression analysis was performed. Results revealed that seismic risk perceptions varied significantly with age, income, experience, and house type. People who suffered in the past from earthquakes had a higher risk perception. People who had constructed their houses using engineering materials tend to have low-risk perception. It was also found that people were aware of the risks posed by earthquakes, but did not adopt any precautionary measures, due to their fatalistic stance towards future earthquake occurrence. As a result, their susceptibility to earthquakes has increased substantially. The study recommends awareness campaigns and educational programs to improve the risk perception of local people, especially about the importance of earthquake-resistant design and building codes.