Alignment between top-down disaster indices and local views on disaster preparedness
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22026604 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David W Johnston (0000-0003-3185-2890, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute), Sundar Ponnusamy (0000-0002-7857-0279, Deakin University), R Wickes (0000-0002-6136-4815, Griffith University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 130 |
| Pages | 105840 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2212-4209 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105840 |
| OpenAlex | W4414498048 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
This study examines whether top-down indices of disaster resilience and vulnerability align with individuals’ perceptions of preparedness and coping capacity. Using data from a nationally representative survey of Australians in 2021, we match individuals’ self-reported perceptions to two indices: the Vulnerability Index and the Australian Natural Disaster Resilience Index. Regression analyses reveal that these indices, including most of their sub-components, are weakly or inconsistently associated with perceived preparedness and coping capacity. These patterns persist across demographic groups and for individuals with recent disaster experience. The misalignment appears to stem partly from the indices’ strong correlation with area-level socioeconomic status. Although socioeconomic advantage is typically assumed to improve resilience and reduce vulnerability, we find it is not a strong predictor of how prepared or capable people feel. These findings raise questions about how resilience and vulnerability are measured and interpreted, particularly when used to guide policy and funding decisions. We argue that top-down indices and local perceptions capture different dimensions of resilience, and using both in parallel could improve the targeting and effectiveness of resilience-building strategies
Disaster preparedness · Natural disaster · Perception · Preparedness · Social vulnerability · Socioeconomic status · Disaster Management and Resilience · Disaster Response and Management · Flood Risk Assessment and Management
Top-down assessment of disaster resilience
Relationship between social vulnerability and community resilience
A systematic literature review of empirical validation of disaster resilience indicators
Developing a Framework for Measuring Community Resilience
Disaster Resilience
Disaster resilience
Validating Resilience and Vulnerability Indices in the Context of Natural Disasters
Social vulnerability to floods
Resilience to disaster
Opening space for equity and justice in resilience
Vulnerability and resilience of remote rural communities to shocks and global changes
Whose resilience matters? Like-for-like comparison of objective and subjective evaluations of resilience
Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards
The geographies of community disaster resilience
Is resilience socially constructed? Empirical evidence from Fiji, Ghana, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam
Community resilience across Australia towards natural hazards
Responding to crises and disasters
Social Capital and Community Resilience
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |