Structure of Disaster Preparedness Motivation and Its Relationship with Disaster Preparedness Behaviors

This study investigated the motivations related to autonomous and continuous disaster preparedness from the viewpoint of self‐determination theory (SDT). Study 1 was a bottom‐up investigation to capture the structure of motivation. Four hundred people who had already engaged in preparedness answered an open‐ended question concerning the reason for their preparedness. After categorizing the descriptions, four distinct categories (personal significance, avoidance of negative affect, introjection of social norms, and other‐oriented motivation) were extracted. Study 2 developed survey items, based on the four categories extracted in Study 1 and a conceptual definition of the theory, and examined their relationships with disaster preparedness. Five hundred and sixty people answered the questions on disaster preparedness motivation (32 items), autonomous disaster preparedness (four items), household preparedness (10 items), and continuous preparedness (10 items). Factor analysis of motivation extracted four factors (personal significance and avoidance of negative affect, introjection of social norms, intimate other‐orientation, and general other‐orientation). Correlation analysis showed that all motivations were positively correlated with autonomous, household, and continuous preparedness. The results contribute to extending the scope of application of SDT and to clarifying the motivations corresponding to disaster preparedness. For future studies, strategies to promote disaster preparedness are discussed.