The Impact of Hazard Naming in Wireless Emergency Alerts: Enhancing Protective Action Decision Making and Organizational Attitudes

Authors

Micki Olson, University at Albany, State University of New YorkFollow
Hugh Walpole, University at Albany, State University of New YorkFollow
Jeannette Sutton, University at Albany, State University of New YorkFollow
Lauren B. Cain, University at Albany, State University of New YorkFollow
Nicholas Waugh, University at Albany, State University of New YorkFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-10-2025

DOI

10.1080/13669877.2025.2512085

Abstract

Wireless Emergency Alerts are an important way people learn about impending threats. Yet, these messages typically lack information about the hazard that will endanger people. In this study, we examine how naming the hazard and its associated cues in a Wireless Emergency Alert influences people’s perceptions that help them make protective action decisions, including understanding, belief, personalization, deciding, response efficacy, and self-efficacy. We also measure the extent to which naming the hazard and its cues affects an organization’s reputation and perceived transparency. To do so, we conduct a 2 (message type: named hazard vs. unnamed hazard) × 3 (hazard type: civil disturbance, dam failure, and wildfire) experiment with 579 Sacramento, CA residents. Results show that regardless of hazard type, naming the hazard and its cues increases understanding and favorable attitudes towards the organization. We also find that in the case of wildfires, when the recommended actions are perceived as difficult, including the name of the hazard and its cues increases people’s confidence in their ability to act and make decisions. We discuss the implications of our findings for both risk communication practice and theory, as well as future research directions for wildfire warning message design specifically.

Comments

This is the Author's Accepted Manuscript. The version of record can be found here: Olson, M., Walpole, H., Sutton, J., Cain, L. B., & Waugh, N. (2025). The impact of hazard naming in Wireless Emergency Alerts: Enhancing protective action decision making and organizational attitudes. Journal of Risk Research, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2025.2512085

Recommended Citation

Olson, Micki; Walpole, Hugh; Sutton, Jeannette; Cain, Lauren B.; and Waugh, Nicholas, "The Impact of Hazard Naming in Wireless Emergency Alerts: Enhancing Protective Action Decision Making and Organizational Attitudes" (2025). Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity Faculty Scholarship. 17.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/ehc_fac_scholar/17