Changing societal expectations and risk appetite: influences on building an earthquake resilient future?
David Johnston, Julia Becker, Lauren Vinnell, Emma Hudson-Doyle, Massey University, Wellington; Caroline Orchiston, University of Otago

 There are many factors that shape people’s interpretations of risk.  Research following the Canterbury (2010-11)¸ Cook Strait (2013),  and Kaikōura (2016) earthquakes, has shown how the spatial distribution of risk influences people’s motivations to undertake various personal and policy-related actions. People in relatively lower risk areas are less likely to act even though their exposure to earthquakes is still relatively high at a global scale.  Furthermore, recent research has shown that lack of access to and/or framing of risk information have contributed to public misunderstandings of seismic risk. In response to recent earthquake disasters in New Zealand, seismic performance codes are being revised. To determine levels of acceptable risk, an integrated understanding of engineering performance, risk language and public perception of risk is required.  This talk will explore perceptions of risk across society, and how this relates to application of reduce reduction practices in different time frames and geographic areas, including places considered relatively high and lower risk.