Community participation effects on preparedness behaviour through risk perception: Empirical data of hazardous chemicals from China

Abstract This study explores the relationship among community participation, risk perception and preparedness behaviour in the context of hazardous chemicals risk. Community participation is divided into top-down community participation and bottom-up community participation, and the types of risk perception (threat perception, resource-related preparedness behaviour perception, hazard-related preparedness behaviour perception, stakeholder perception) are introduced in the relationship of community participation and preparedness behaviour as mediators. Based on the 1700 questionnaires about dangerous chemicals collected from China, the direct model, four single-mediator models and the multi-mediator model are tested by the structural equation method. The results showed that (1) top-down community participation has a positive impact on preparedness behaviour intention, while bottom-up community participation has a negative impact. (2) Threat perception has no impact on the relationship between community participation and preparedness behaviour intention, while (3) hazard-related preparedness behaviour perception and stakeholder perception have a partially positive mediating impact. (4) Resource-related preparedness behaviour perception has a positive mediating role between top-down community participation and preparedness behaviour intention, but (5) a negative mediating role between bottom-up community participation and preparedness behaviour intention. In addition, there are concealment effects among the mediating roles of the four risk perceptions, which indicates that (6) the mediating role of hazard-related preparedness behaviour perception could be substituted by stakeholder perception and that (7) the mediating role of resource-related preparedness behaviour perception is stronger than stakeholder perception. This current study provides insight regarding the influence of community participation on individual preparedness behaviour in the pre-disaster stage.