Viewing a world of disaster through the eyes of faith: The influence of religious worldviews on community adaptation in the context of disaster-related vulnerability in Indonesia.

摘要

Natural disasters pose a ubiquitous threat to communities around the world. Communities perceive, understand, anticipate, and make meaning of disaster risks through the lens of their worldview. In many regions of the world, religious beliefs and practices contribute to the shaping of worldview, hence affecting the attitudes, decisions, and behaviors of a particular community. This study examines the impact of religiously-derived worldviews on community response and adaptation in the disaster-prone nation of Indonesia. Using data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey Fourth Wave, this study confirms that the "religiousness" of a worldview makes a difference in community-level action. The average religiosity of individuals in a community impacts the likelihood that tangible measures will be taken by the community to reduce their vulnerability to future disasters. In a community with more religious individuals, the likelihood that adaptive measures will be taken is lower, potentially due to fatalistic attitudes and beliefs regarding the locus of control over disasters and their impacts. The degree of participation in community religious activities does not appear to impact the likelihood of adaptive measures being undertaken by the community. Religiosity exhibits less influence on adaptation than other factors, such as the number of disasters a community has experienced, the occurrence of briefings about disaster preparedness, and the urban-rural location of the community. A "disaster adaptation awareness culture," including tangible actions for anticipatory adaptation, is more likely to arise in communities that have experienced disasters and been briefed regarding disaster preparedness. Furthermore, urban communities are more likely than rural communities to take action to prepare for future disasters.