Abstract:
An earthquake, which can directly affect individual and social life, is a natural event that is difficult to
predict. However, previous earthquake experiences can trigger earthquake risk perception and fear.
Reasonable risk perception and fear generally affect earthquake preparedness behaviour positively. This
study aims to reveal the earthquake risk perception, fear, and actual and perceived preparedness levels of
the people in a region in Turkey where a destructive earthquake occurred. Data were collected from 388
respondents who experienced the Elazig earthquake in 2020 through a structured questionnaire. The
findings indicate that earthquake risk perception and fear are high, but actual and perceived preparedness
levels are low. The results showed that gender, earthquake education, the way the earthquake is explained
differ significantly with the risk perception, fear, actual and perceived preparedness levels. In addition, it
has been determined that risk perception, fear, actual and perceived preparedness levels are related to each
other at certain levels. The research is considered necessary because it deals with many variables and offers
a holistic view of the research field
