Reading the ‘litc-tsu’ wave: a comprehensive analysis of socio-demographic determinants of tsunami literacy
Keywords:
age, coastal proximity, disaster preparedness, gender, tsunami literacy, socio-demographic factorAbstract
Tsunamis are destructive disasters that threaten those living in vulnerable areas, such as Indonesia's coastal regions. Tsunami literacy (Litc-Tsu) plays an important role in reducing risk and increasing preparedness. This study attempts to explore in depth the factors behind the level of Litc-Tsu. Socio-demographic characteristics such as gender, age, and proximity to the coast are of interest for in-depth investigation to determine whether they are related to the level of Litc-Tsu, especially among teenagers, who are the target of this study. In conducting our research, we used a quantitative study through an exploratory survey design conducted on 260 students in Lampung Province, Indonesia, due to its geological vulnerability to tsunamis, namely, the presence of Mt. Anak Krakatau and the subduction zone on the southern coast of Lampung, which has the potential for megathrust earthquakes. The results we obtained will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including structural equation modeling (SEM), independent t-tests, and ANOVA. The findings we processed concluded that (1) the gender factor, where the Litc-Tsu level of women is higher than that of men, significantly affects Litc-Tsu; (2) the age factor does not significantly affect or correlate with Litc-Tsu, with our findings limited to only one age group (adolescents); and (3) the geographical proximity factor does not significantly affect or correlate with Litc-Tsu; our findings indicate that there needs to be an in-depth investigation within the scope of the coastal corridor (+/- 1 km) rather than across the entire regency area. Nevertheless, these findings enrich the scientific knowledge base for constructing evidence-based tsunami mitigation strategies for adolescents that account for socio-demographic factors.
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