Spatial risk perception among 9th grade students mainland Portugal versus the metropolitan area of Porto

Abstract

This study aims to assess the perception that 9th year students have about some key concepts related to the “science of risk” and to evaluate their ability to identify and classify the natural and mixed risks with a greater probability of occurrence, both at national level and in the Metropolitan Area of Porto (MAP). A questionnaire was applied to 308 students in the 9th year, before the content was taught in geography classes. The results show that students have major difficulties when assessing concepts (such as susceptibility, vulnerability and disaster) and the causes, consequences and mitigation measures identification were evaluated by them as the most important local/municipal risks. In general, the students rated forest fire as the risk most likely to occur, both nationally and in all the MAP municipalities, with a classification of high (national) and moderate (MAP). At municipal level, however, some differences were highlighted in the ranking for the different types of risk. These results also suggest that risk perception is shaped by informal sources of information such as that provided by mass media, and the proximity to a certain type of risk.