The same but different: A cross‐country comparison of national earthquake policies and societal perspectives of seismic risk in Israel and Switzerland

Abstract National earthquake policies aim to mitigate earthquake risk by minimizing the potential damage to lives, property, and infrastructure and by preparing the population to carry out recommended behaviors when an earthquake is felt or a warning is heard. In this research, we compare two earthquake‐prone countries, Israel and Switzerland, to examine if and how their policies to mitigate seismic risk differ, and how citizens react to the national earthquake policies in terms of their perceived risk of earthquakes and their preparedness. We examine and compare four national‐level earthquake policy components—risk assessment, mitigation regulation, early warning system, and risk communication with the public. We find that centralized national‐level policy in Israel, which includes regulated building codes, a nationwide early warning system, and national awareness campaigns, does lead to higher levels of reported awareness and preparedness. Similarly, in high‐risk cantons in Switzerland, which apply these policies (except for the warning system), citizens were also more prepared than in low‐risk cantons. However, given learning from both countries' policies, we suggest that earthquake policies should include collaboration with local authorities and the population through a more decentralized and localized approach, which includes drills, training, and information dissemination.