The public communication about risks of extreme floods is pivotal for risk perception and the willingness of the citizens to take action, since these occurrences are far away from everyday life. Hence the sub-project aims at the analysis of specific local risks cultures: it comparatively investigates the relationship between risk-communicational activities of professional actors, press coverage and risk representation of the population, regarding floods in Hamburg and Bremen (both cities are located in the North of Germany). The research design contains three surveys:

* The social context is analysed by the analysis of risk-communicational documents (Flyer) and the press coverage concerning floods.
* Data about risk representation and willingness of the population to take action is collected by a representative opinion poll in both cities.
* Social appraisal of risk information and communication channels is investigated through focus group discussions in Bremen.

In conclusion recommendations for the optimisation of public risk communication as an aspect of flood risk management should be deduced from the analysis.

The research project is part of the research cooperation „Integrated flood risk management in an individualized society (INNIG)” - “Integriertes Hochwasserrisikomanagement in einer individualisierten Gesellschaft (INNIG)“

Cooperation Partners:

Dr. Michael Schirmer, Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Bremen (project coordinator)

Dr. Bastian Schuchardt, BioConsult GmbH, Bremen, (project coordinator)