Are you ready for mega disasters? Japanese people's disaster: Consciousness before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake

This study was based on data collected from two public opinion surveys on strategies for mega disasters among Japanese people before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake. This study investigated changes in Japanese people's disaster consciousness by comparing the before and after data. Results implied Japanese people's increasing concern over potential mega disasters (low-probability/high-consequence disasters). It is worth noting that the societal level impact from the Great East Japan Earthquake, including difficulties in transportation and confirmation of security, as well as damages to the logistics lifeline, significantly influenced Japanese people's disaster consciousness. This study is the pre-stage of an ongoing research project on Japanese people's knowledge and perception of natural hazards and climate change. Findings are expected to provide insights for designing in-depth interviews in the next stage of the project.