Information source and valence: How information credibility influences earthquake risk perception

The present research aims at the relationship between information credibility and perception of seismic risk in a group of people living in severe disaster areas. 243 adult residents exposed to seismic hazard participated in a questionnaire study. With respect to four types of information which are generated by information sources and valence, participants were instructed to recall one type of the information they obtained respectively and rate the recalled information in terms of its credibility. After that, they were asked to report their seismic risk perception and all socio-demographic data were also collected. Regression analyses suggested that information credibility significantly influenced risk perception. Furthermore, the credibility of word-of-mouth and negative information were positively associated with risk perception. Meanwhile, risk perception was also affected greatly by the credibility of negative public information but not positive word-of-mouth information. It was clear that both information source and valence moderated the process and the latter exerted a stronger influence on it. The results were interpreted in relation to the elaboration likelihood model, accessibility-diagnosticity model, and other cognitive theories. The findings were discussed in terms of their general implications for the improvement of risk communication about earthquake related messages.