Status and influencing factors of risk perception among citizens in Beijing municipality and Heilongjiang province

Objective To examine the level of risk perception and its influencing factors among citizens in Beijing municipality and Heilongjiang province.Methods Using stratified random cluster sampling,we selected 988 and 971 citizens living in regions with different economic development levels in Beijing municipality (Beijing) and Heilongjiang province (Heilongjiang) for a survey on risk perception with a self-designed questionnaire between August and September 2015.We performed statistics description and binary logistic regression to analyze the data collected using SPSS 18.0.Results Compared to those in Heilongjiang and in rural regions,the citizens in Beijing and in urban regions reported significantly higher level of risk perception,with the dimension scores for natural disaster (3.09±1.033 for Beijing citizens vs.2.93±1.160 for Heilongjiang citizens and 3.09±0.034 for urban citizens vs.2.92±0.037 for rural citizens),public health event (2.90±1.001 vs.2.69±1.123 and 2.85±0.032 vs.2.73±0.036),and violent terrorist incident (2.63±0.976 vs.2.46±1.090 and 2.68±0.032 vs.2.39±0.034),respectively (P<0.01 for all).The results of univariate analysis showed that whether being with disability was a significant impact factor on the perception of risk possibility (χ²=5.148)and severity (χ²=4.570)(both P<0.05).The results of multivariate logistic regression revealed that age,whether purchasing insurance,and housing type were main influencing factors of risk perception;the citizens with disabilities (odds ratioOR=1.727,95% confidence interval95%CI=1.024-2.911),living in high buildings (OR=1.373,95%CI=1.063-1.773),and residing in Beijing (OR=1.290,95%CI=1.052-1.582)were more likely to have risk awareness than those with healthy condition,living in bungalows,and residing in Helongjiang.Conclusion The level of risk perception is different among Chinese citizens residing in various regions and comprehending citizens' risk perception is beneficial for increasing the capability in public emergency management among citizens.