Investigating the feasibility of adopting virtual reality as a method for natural hazard risk communication

Abstract

Extreme weather events have cost billions of dollars in economic losses yearly in the United States and the world continues to experience natural hazards from the constant effects of climate change. Existing research studies have noted the increased frequency of natural hazards and called for mitigating actions to reduce disaster risk. Effective risk communication is critical in shaping natural hazard risk perception and deciding to take protective action. This study investigates the feasibility of adopting Virtual Reality (VR) as a method for natural hazard risk communication. Following a literature review, a structured large-scale survey was designed based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and administered to individual residents as participants for this study. Findings from this study suggest a strong relationship between the perceived usability and perceived ease of use of VR is related to participants’ gaming and VR experience. These findings indicated the willingness to adopt VR technology to communicate incoming natural hazards. In addition, the study results showed a negative correlation with age, which made older people less willing to accept the use of VR. At the same time, the previous disaster experience had contradictory effects on the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of VR. These findings are crucial additions to the existing literature as they suggest opportunities in disaster risk communication research for the adoption of new and emerging technologies. Future research will focus on segmenting populations based on demographics and experience distributions across a nationally represented sample.