Wildfire risk perception and communication in disadvantaged communities: Insights from Eastern Coachella Valley in Southern California

Understanding factors associated with wildfire risk perception and preferences for risk communication strategies is crucial for promoting individual risk reduction behaviors and enhancing educational campaigns. Given a lack of research focusing on disadvantaged communities with low socioeconomic status, we administered an in-person survey from February to April 2023 in four unincorporated communities in Eastern Coachella Valley to collect information on wildfire experiences and community preparedness. We used multivariate logistic regressions to identify potential predictors of wildfire risk perception, such as sociodemographic characteristics, previous wildfire experiences, and social participation. We performed Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests to examine whether preferences for risk communication varied across sociodemographic groups. Among 115 participants with wildfire experiences, 113 (98.3%) were self-identified as Hispanic/Latino and 69 (60.0%) had an annual household income below $25,000. Higher safety awareness, more participation in community or social groups, and poorer health were associated with increased wildfire risk perception. Short messages were preferred for wildfire alerts, and television was the most favored information channel. Social media was the most preferred channel among young adults. Elderly individuals and those lacking a high school education were more likely to seek information from doctors than other groups. Agricultural workers relied more on mobile phone texts and personal observations than those in other occupations. Our study highlights significant gaps in preparedness and the inadequacies of current wildfire risk communication in these disadvantaged communities, underscoring the importance of leveraging social interactions to enhance wildfire risk awareness and implementing tailored communication strategies that effectively reach targeted populations. • Social interaction can positively influence wildfire risk perception. • Safety awareness was significantly associated with wildfire risk perception. • Wildfire risk communication preferences vary by sociodemographic factors. • There is a severe inadequacy of risk communication in disadvantaged communities.