The moderation effect of place attachment on environmental risk perceptions and preventive coping behaviors

Past research suggests that place attachment is relevant in regulating people-environment transactions across a number of environmental-psychological processes, such as perception, attitudes, intentions and behaviors. However, environmental risk lacks empirical studies assessing the role of place attachment on environmental risk perception and prevention behaviors. Since place attachment is strongly related with place-specific dimensions of one’s identity such as place identity and may therefore be linked to spatial-biases, we hypothesize that place attachment moderate the relation between environmental risk perception and prevention behaviors enacted to cope with such a risk. Two studies are conducted in Italy, specifically in two cities exposed to low and high flood risk (Rome and Vibo Valentia). Results show that, even though stronger level of place attachment exert a positive effect in improving people’s general willingness to cope with an environmental risk, when associated to high level of risk perception this effect is weaker. Findings suggest that affect-based cues such as place attachment may lead to lower action when associated with high environmental risk perception. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed within the framework of place attachment and place identity