Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.5194/nhess-25-4983-2025
Lizenz creative commons licence
Titel (primär) Polarization in flood risk management? Sensitivity of norm perception and responsibility attribution to frequent flood experience
Autor Köhler, L.; Masson, T.; Han, S. ORCID logo ; Kuhlicke, C.
Quelle Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
Department SUSOZ
Band/Volume 25
Heft 12
Seite von 4983
Seite bis 5015
Sprache englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Supplements Supplement 1
Abstract In this study, we examine the relationship between frequent flood experience (FFE), norm perception, and responsibility attribution. Given that floods are assumed to occur more often in the future and that perceived norms and responsibility attribution are drivers of individual-level protective behavior against them, understanding these relationships is vital. The data for the current study come from a household survey conducted in flood-prone regions of the Federal State of Saxony (Germany) in 2020. We applied regression analyses to test for nonlinear relationships between FFE, responsibility attribution for flood risk management, and perception of social norms supporting private flood-protective behavior. In addition, we tested for moderating effects of these relationships. We identified four key findings. First, the relationship between frequent flood experience and responsibility attributions follows a nonlinear path. Changes in norm perceptions are less dynamic. Specifically, variations in effect strength and direction can only be observed for the perception of injunctive norms. Second, we detect a diverging trend among respondents who experienced multiple flood events, with greater responsibility attributed to public authorities and less to their own communities. Third, under consideration of interaction effects, we find increasing discrepancies in responsibility attributions and perception of social versus personal norms after the third flood event, depending on self-efficacy, control beliefs, and ingroup identification. Fourth, we observe a contradicting trend between perceived norms for protective behavior and responsibility attribution to the self/the community. These findings suggest a potential polarization in flood risk management, shaped by the perceived ability to manage floods and the social environment.
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=30892
Köhler, L., Masson, T., Han, S., Kuhlicke, C. (2025):
Polarization in flood risk management? Sensitivity of norm perception and responsibility attribution to frequent flood experience
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 25 (12), 4983 - 5015 10.5194/nhess-25-4983-2025