Risk perception in small island developing states: a case study in the Commonwealth of Dominica

Small island developing states (SIDS) face high vulnerability to natural hazards; thus, understanding risk perception in SIDS is an essential step toward reducing vulnerability. A case study in the eastern Caribbean’s Commonwealth of Dominica, which has a notable volcanic risk, was selected to explore local risk perception, using a mixed-methods approach. Focus groups were conducted in 18 villages throughout Dominica. During the focus groups, participants produced hand-colored maps to show where they believed volcanic risk existed on the island and shared their reasoning behind their maps. Additionally, all focus group participants completed surveys collecting sociodemographic information. Participant’s hand-drawn maps were scanned into a geographic information system, converted to raster images, and aggregated into various configurations based on demographic variables. The verbal explanations of their maps were transcribed, coded, and analyzed qualitatively using a grounded theory approach to identify key trends in perceived risk. Although gender was the only significant variable when analyzing the entire island, other demographic variables had differences in perception that were significant regionally. Understanding how demographic variables influence risk perception facilitates the development of better-tailored public outreach campaigns that could save lives when the next hazard threatens Dominica.