The Impact of Socio-Demographic Characteristics on Urban Mobility Patterns in the Aftermath of a Major Earthquake: A Case Study of the February 6, 2023 Earthquakes in Turkiye

Human mobility in daily life is closely related to spatial features, as well as the social contexts of individuals. Related studies emphasize that individuals tend to spend most of their time in their daily lives visiting only a few places. However, urban mobility in daily life routine differs depending on individuals’ mobility behaviors during emergencies such as earthquakes. There are several studies aimed at defining the physical and social factors that affect human mobility in relation to disasters. In these studies, personal characteristics, spatial arrangements, and social networks emerge as features that affect behavioral patterns. Socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, and education level are reported to be associated with disaster preparedness. On the other hand, certain characteristics that provide clues about the economic structure, such as income level and homeownership, have been found to contribute positively to preparedness efforts as their values increase. In addition to social and economic features, the “disaster experience” as a significant psychological factor can significantly influence behaviors and intervention actions during and after a disaster. When the behaviors adopted in the minutes following an earthquake are examined, the main behavioral patterns can be listed as evacuation, returning home, reuniting with family members, or resuming previous activities. These differences that emerge in studies can be explained through the seismic characteristics of the earthquake (such as an increase in protective behaviors in more strongly felt earthquakes) and socio-demographic characteristics (such as males being more inclined to evacuate buildings during earthquakes). The cultural context, which includes the willingness of the community to accept earthquake preparedness measures, trust in the government, and willingness to volunteer, also creates differences in behaviors during and immediately after an earthquake. Despite the increasing academic literature on behavioral psychology and human mobility during disasters, the temporal characteristics of individual behaviors and the relationship between emotions and mobility over time have not been thoroughly investigated. This study aims to understand the urban mobility patterns of the population living in the region during the great earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023, in Türkiye, and to reveal the impact of socio-demographic and economic characteristics of the population on human mobility. In this context, household surveys were conducted using a random sampling technique in two cities in the region (Malatya and Adana). In the survey studies, factors influencing the sudden and short-term urban population mobility that occurred after the earthquake were identified, and the differences between this mobility pattern and the pre-earthquake routine mobility pattern were described, highlighting the social, demographic, and economic reasons for these differences.