NAS Gulf Research Program

Why Location Matters: How Smarter Decision-Making by Renters and Homebuyers Will Increase Coastal Resilience

THEME 4 CES PROJECT 1 THEME 4 CES PROJECT 2 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Theme 4 CES Project 1: The New First Line of Defense: Building Community Resilience Through Residential Risk Disclosure

Project Narrative

Flooding is one of the most sudden and frequently occurring climate hazard events around the world. It has become increasingly vital to understand and mitigate flood risk for Gulf Coast residents as stronger and more frequent flooding impacts their daily lives. To better understand the “rational” and “non-rational” responses to flood risk, three frameworks have been proposed to understand public risk perceptions; the rational actor model or paradigm (RAP), the psychometric paradigm, and cultural theory.

Project Summary and Objectives

The goal of this project is to examine the effects of flood risk information, emotions, and cultural identity on flood risk perceptions, home-buying behaviors, and mitigation behaviors. Participants are introduced to various flood risk information graphics that potentially affect their understanding of flood risks. These graphics are used to determine the extent to which they impact decision-making.

Project Approach

This project includes three sequential components: The first component includes surveying individual Gulf Coast residents regarding flood risk perceptions, flood risk mitigation behaviors, cultural identity, scientific literacy, political identity, relevant homeowner information, and socio-economic-demographics. The second component includes focus groups of the same participants with semi-structured questions with the same subjects as the first component. The third component includes surveying a larger number of individual Gulf Coast residents regarding the same subjects as the first component.

Project Outcomes

This project is still underway and not yet complete. Components 1 through 2 have been completed but component 3 is still unfolding in an iterative process within the NAS Gulf research team. To date, this project has produced:

Initial findings that call into question the validity of how “rational” flood risk reduction behaviors may be
Initial findings that suggest people interpret graphics fairly well, but their flood risk reduction behaviors (if any) may not be grounded in an understanding of these graphics
Two Master’s theses, each based on either the psychometrics or cultural theory aspects of decision making under the risk of flood.

Theme 4 CES Project 2: Assessing the Availability of Natural Hazard and Risk Information to Low- and Moderate-Income Homebuyers

Project Narrative

This study is part of the collective work of several research facilities across the United States as part of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Gulf Research Program research project, “Why Location Matters: How Smarter Decision-Making by Renters and Homebuyers Will Increase Coastal Resilience.”
The goal of this project is to survey and interview key personnel and stakeholders within home buying programs in the Gulf Coast region of Florida and Louisiana to understand the scope and accessibility of natural hazards risk information communicated to low- and moderate-income homebuyers.

Project Summary and Objectives

Project Approach

This research involves the administration of an online stakeholder survey discussing topics of hazard risk communication followed by semi-structured stakeholder interviews. The study population consists of local stakeholders, elected officials, appointed officials, business owners, non-profit employees, Florida State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program (SHIP) and state program managers and thought leaders. Stakeholders represent and are located within Florida and Louisiana.

Project Outcomes

This project is still underway and not yet complete. The stakeholder survey has been completed but the interview process is still in progress.
To date, this project has produced initial findings that:

Illuminate a lack of natural hazard risk information offered to homebuyers, especially by government organizations
Indicate home buying program stakeholders’ positive views on providing this information
Illustrate relatively low accessibility of this information (through home buying courses)

Additional Resources:

Read Ryan Amato’s Master's Thesis: "Hiding in Floodplain Sight: How Does Flood Risk Information Affect Flood Risk Perceptions and Mitigation Behaviors?"
Read Glen Oglesby' Master's Thesis: "It’s All Just in Your Head: How Does a Person’s Cultural Identity Affect Their Flood Risk Perceptions and Mitigation Behaviors?"