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Assessing Perception of Wildfires and Related Impacts among Adult Residents of Southern California

Year of Publication
2023
Publication Type

Major wildfires and their smoke pose a threat to public health and are becoming more frequent in the United States, particularly in California and other populated, fire-prone states. There- fore, it is crucial to understand how California residents view wildfires and engage in risk-reducing behaviors during wildfire events. Currently, there is a knowledge gap concerning this area of inquiry. We disseminated a 40-question cross-sectional survey to explore wildfire perception and knowledge along with related risk-reducing measures and policies among 807 adult residents in the fire-prone region of Orange County, California. Results demonstrated that nearly all (>95%) participants had (or knew someone who had) previously experienced a wildfire. Female gender, knowing a wildfire victim and reporting to have a general interest/passion for environmental issues were the three factors most strongly associated with (1) wildfires (and smoke) being reported as a threat, (2) partici- pants’ willingness to evacuate if threatened by a nearby wildfire, and (3) participants’ willingness to support a wildfire-related tax increase (p < 0.05). The majority (57.4%) of participants agreed that the occurrence of wildfires is influenced by climate change, with the most commonly reported risk-reducing actions (by 44% of participants) being informational actions (e.g., tracking the news) rather than self-motivated physical safety actions (e.g., using an air purifier) (29%). The results of this study can help to inform decision- and policy-making regarding future wildfire events as well as allow more targeted and effective public health messaging and intervention measures, in turn helping to reduce the risk associated with future wildfire/smoke episodes.

Authors
S. Masri; E.Anne Shenoi; D.Rose Garfin; J. Wu
Citation

Masri S, Shenoi EAnne, Garfin DRose, Wu J. Assessing Perception of Wildfires and Related Impacts among Adult Residents of Southern California. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023 ;20(1).

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