The Characteristics Of Tibetan People In Earthquake Disaster Cognition And Response

In recent years, earthquake disasters are occurred with increasing impacts. Thus how tomitigate disasters effectively receives much concern. In this aspect, less researches have beendone on how ordinary people cognize on and response to disasters, especially from diversecultural backgrounds. Taking the2010Yushu Ms7.1earthquake as a case, we attempt to studythe awareness and responsive characteristics on earthquake disasters of the Tibetan residentsthrough the questionnaire survey, with consideration of Yushu’s unique culture. Some targetedsuggestions to raising disaster-releasing ability of Tibetan people are also provided. The mainconclusions are as follows:(1)The total level on cognizing and responding the earthquake disaster of people in Yushu islow, with scoring rates on all variables below0.45. The lowest part is earthquake disasterknowledge. Much work needs to be done in increasing the cognition-and-response level of Yushupublic.(2)There exist differences among different groups in earthquake cognition and response. Themain differences are as follows:①From teenagers to the elderly, the cognition-and-response level of Yushu people increasesfirstly and then decreases. People in age of20~30have higher cognition-and-response level thanothers. The lowest level in earthquake cognition-and-response belongs to people over the age of58.②With the education level grows, from primary schooling to Bachelor degree or above, thescoring rate of each cognition-and-response variable increases obviously in the mass. Thedifference on self-and mutual-rescuing among people of different educational levels is notobvious.③Significant differences exist in the cognition-and-response variables among differentoccupation groups. Government cadres keep high in all the cognition-and-response variables,however, the cognition-and-response level on each variable of farmers, herdsmen, and religiouspeople are lower.④The disaster-releasing-skills-and-policy-mastering level of people who haveexperienced emergency is relatively higher than people who have no experience.⑤Groupdifferences exist between male and female in variable of self-and mutual-rescuing.(3)There exist significant differences between people in regions of varied seismic intensities. In areas with intensity above Ⅶ, the variation tendency on cognition-and-response level of localpeople is in accordance with the change of intensity.(4)The cognition-and-response level of town people is higher than that of people living inrural areas, and the former have more identity on the function of earthquake knowledge anddisaster-releasing skills. Compared with residents in other areas, the cognition-and-responselevel of people in Yushu is lower.(5)There is a significant positive correlation between the responses and cognition degree ofpeople in Yushu. Compared with earthquake knowledge, the impacts of disaster-releasing-skilland-policy-mastering is more obvious, and the public evaluation of latter is more positive.Thecomparison between the degrees of people’s execution and knowing on specificearthquake-releasing skills shows that the degree of knowing is higher than execution.(6) Before the earthquake, Yushu people learned the earthquake knowledge anddisaster-releasing skills mainly school education and self-experience, authoritative media wasnot in ascendant.After the earthquake, Yushu people learned the earthquake knowledge anddisaster-releasing skills mainly from authoritative media (including broadcasting, TV andnewspaper), the government and family communication. Yushu public has more trust inauthoritative media and the propagandas from government and school, and they wish thepropaganda through authoritative media, government and school need to be strengthened.(7)The unique culture of Yushu has some impact on residents’ earthqauake cognition andresponses:①The cognition-and-response level of Yushu people is associated with their degrees ofreligious belief.②The people, either high or low educated, are distinctly influenced by regligiouson cognition-and-response.③Yushu people have more trust in the religious, relatives andfriends, and would seek for help from and expose inside feelings to them.④The depressionemotions of most people recoverd in six month or less,so as the daily life. Encouragement fromrelatives and friends, help and consolation from the religious, religious belief were the majorfactors for their restoration.