JAILCD2025-036: The Mechanism of Urban Residents' Disaster Short-term Relocation Behavior Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Case Study of Zhengzhou, China

Abstract

In major natural disasters, a large-scale short-term relocation phenomenon often occurs among residents. Studying relocation behavior during disasters is of great significance for urban public governance and disaster prevention planning. However, the internal driving mechanisms behind individual relocation behavior during disasters have received relatively little attention. This study takes the 7.20 major rainstorm and flood disaster in Zhengzhou as a case study, conducting an online survey to analyze the relocation behavior characteristics of residents during the rainstorm disaster, using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework to examine the driving mechanisms behind their behavior. A total of 386 residents from Zhengzhou voluntarily participated in the online survey. The results show that approximately 35% of the respondents conducted short-term relocation during the rainstorm disaster. Attitude (ATT) and subjective norm (SN) significantly affected the disaster relocation intention (INT), while perceived behavioral control (PBC) had no significant effect on the intention. The intention (INT) had a significant positive effect on the residents’ disaster relocation behavior. By studying the influencing factors and driving mechanisms of residents’ relocation behavior during disasters, this research provides insights for urban managers to understand and predict individual relocation behavior during disasters, helping to formulate disaster management policies.