Analysis of socio-economic factors affecting coastal community preparedness using structural equation modeling

Preparedness refers to the actions taken before a disaster to ensure an effective response. In disaster-related research, quantitative studies typically focus on observing direct correlations and regressions. However, directly measuring preparedness can be challenging. To comprehensively analyze variables, researchers often turn to Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), a powerful alternative. SEM is particularly useful when examining complex relationships among multiple variables. In a study focused on coastal communities in the cities of Banda Aceh, Mataram, and Ambon, the SEM method was applied using secondary data. The research considered one endogenous latent variable called “preparedness” and two exogenous latent variables related to social and economic factors, which are involving a collective of 932 participants. The results from the SEM method using GOFI criteria indicated that socio-economic factors significantly influenced coastal community readiness, with an R-squared value of 56.5%.