2016 Volume 26 Issue 3 Pages 123-130
This study empirically examined the effects of imagining refugee scenes on the preparative action against future disasters. A total of 147 undergraduate students and 77 elderly persons participated in the 3 experiments in which they were asked to choose one of two alternatives: preservable goods for use in case of disasters or a book coupon. The results of the experiments consistently showed that participants imagining refugees facing shortage of water and food did not affect their preference for preservable goods, indicative of the difficulties for enhancing behavioral preparedness. Implications of the current findings for disaster risk management in the future have been discussed.
