Public Support and Priorities for Seismic Rehabilitation in the East Bay Region

A mail survey was conducted on a sample of 727 residents of Alameda County. Ck The gods of the study were to obtain data on public perceptions of likely damage and disruption following a Bay Area earthquake. judgments concerning the criticality of various elements in the built environment, and willingness to pay for programs to strengthen structures and lifelines. AIameda County residents expect significant damage in the event of a major earthquake, and they have clear priorities regarding which structures and systems must remain operatioml should an earthquake occur. Most residents are willing to invcst additional funds in seismic &ty programs particularly programs targeting health- and safkty-related stmctures, such as major hospitals, fne stations, and critical government buildings. Logistic regression analyses identified a number of predictors of support for seismic safety programs. The most sigrdficant predictors of overall willingness to pay for seismic upgradii were educatioG age (wbich was oegatively associated with williagness to pay), trust in California state govermnent, household preparedmss, and earthqualce risk perception. 1