The influence of cultural worldviews on the association between wildfire risk perception and preventive behaviors

Abstract

Wildfire prevention is one of the most important contemporary environmental challenges. Risk perception appears to be a relevant variable in influencing preventive behaviors, and this association is influenced by several variables. In this regard, cultural worldviews directly influenced environmental risk perception, although, in the context of wildfires, research has not investigated their role in the association between risk perception and preventive behaviors.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between wildfire risk perception and preventive behaviors, and to examine the extent to which this relationship was affected by different cultural worldviews.

A survey was administered to 108 Italian participants to assess cultural worldviews, wildfire risk perception and prevention behaviors.

Results showed that higher levels of wildfire risk perception were associated with higher prevention behaviors, and that this association was stronger in people with the optimistic engaged worldview than in people with the cautiously engaged worldview.

The results suggest that the development of specific policies and interventions on particularly prudent and conservative people could increase enactment of wildfire prevention behaviors.