Japanese Survey on Disaster Preparedness Reveals Concerns About Safety Checks and Misinformation

A survey on disaster preparedness targeting 200,000 people across Japan, revealed that two in three of the respondents had concerns about how to confirm the safety of others in the event of a major disaster, with 29.8% describing themselves as “very concerned” about this issue and 37.7% as “somewhat concerned.” The level of concern was highest among households consisting of parents and children, at 72.8%. Tokyo firm Macromill conducted the survey in early February.

The survey also found that the larger the population of a city, the less likely residents were to have made preparations by creating ties with neighbors that could be relied on in the event of a disaster. In large cities of 500,000 residents or more, 34.6% of the survey respondents said that they had not made any such preparations at all.

The spread of “fake news” and unverified posts on social media during major disasters has become a social problem. Among those surveyed, 23.2% were “very concerned” and 39.5% were “somewhat concerned” about the reliability of information during a major disaster due to false information and rumors. The breakdown in responses by age groups show that around 30% of those under 19 felt “very concerned,” which is higher than other age groups. Even though these young people are “digital natives,” adept at technology and social media, they have less social experience, which makes it more difficult to see through misinformation.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)