Fear-Anxiety in the Age of Disasters: Comparative Analysis of COVID-19 and Earthquake

Aim: The recent upsurge in the occurrence of disasters in Turkey makes it necessary to analyse how disasters change daily and social life and to understand the skills and needs of coping with fear, anxiety, and worry that they bring about in society, along with their physical and economic losses. This study aims to understand the fear and anxiety levels of individuals after the earthquakes which occurred in Kahramanmaraş on February 6 and affected eleven provinces, their impacts on daily life practices, and their ideas within the Anxiety Levels Specific to COVID-19” conducted in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This study's data, collected online from 694 individuals over 18 across 7 regions, aims to explain the fear, anxiety levels, changes in daily practices, and perceptions of institutions among those indirectly exposed after the February 6 earthquakes, within the framework of crime fear theories. Results: The findings are compared with data from a post-Covid-19 study for analysis. The findings suggest that the February 6 earthquake intensified societal fear and anxiety; while COVID-19 related fear and anxiety can be managed with individual and institutional measures, fear and anxiety related to earthquakes have become a societal issue that cannot be addressed individually. Conclusion: The February 6 earthquake heightened societal anxiety, underscoring the need for safe housing as a social justice issue. Demographic factors and media use shaped anxiety levels, while trust in disaster management significantly declined.