Person, Place, or Thing: Individual, Community, and Risk Information Seeking

This study focuses on the relationship between the community and the environment to explore (1) how community attachment affects residents’ risk perceptions and risk-coping strategies and (2) how risk knowledge is influenced by community-level psychological factors and, in turn, affects the decision to seek risk information. To find answers, 438 Texans were randomly surveyed on the topic of seismic activity induced by nearby natural gas extraction activities. The findings suggest that risk knowledge and risk information seeking intent are related to lower community attachment. Insights and implications related to the study have been provided for communication practitioners.