2004年10月・新潟県中越地震がもたらした地域社会への影響

The present study investigates whether the impact of the Chuetsu Earthquake in October 2004 has accelerated the depopulation among the devastated mountainous local communities or not. We administered a questionnaire to the residents of the temporary housing in August 2005 and acquired 458 respondents (collection rate 50.9 percent). Although we find that 47 percent of respondents have done reconstruction or repair of their houses, the other 53 percent have begun nothing yet. We expect those people in the isolated stricken areas will move to more convenient places in the cities and towns in the long range. The other aim of the present study is to analyze the risk perception of the sufferers. They were asked to evaluate twelve risks on rating scales. We find that those risks are classified into three categories by applying a cluster analysis. The first cluster consists of imminent risks among the local residents such as major earthquakes, floods and heavy snowfalls. The second is made up of mediate distance risks like medical malpractice, asbestos, and smoking. The third is far remote ones from the sufferers like avian flu, AIDS, and drugs. The dimension of private risk perception is more salient than that of the social one regarding their risk perception structure