Research Article

University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness

Volume: 9 Number: 1 December 26, 2025

University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness

Abstract

Earthquakes are among the most frequent and destructive natural disasters in Türkiye, underscoring the critical need for promoting sustainable disaster awareness among young populations. This study examined university students’ sustainable earthquake awareness and explored the factors associated with their awareness levels. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 429 students who voluntarily participated between November 2024 and January 2025. Data were collected online through a structured questionnaire that included sociodemographic characteristics, past disaster experiences, preparedness-related behaviors, and the Sustainable Earthquake Awareness Scale (SEAS). Descriptive statistics, appropriate parametric and nonparametric tests, and linear regression analyses were used to assess the relationships among variables. The mean SEAS score was 51.80 (SD = 13.27), indicating that overall awareness levels were lower than expected. Regression analysis revealed that being male, having a psychiatric condition, possessing knowledge of disaster preparedness plans, and having personal or family plans were significant predictors of higher sustainable earthquake awareness. These findings highlight the need for targeted educational and institutional initiatives to enhance disaster preparedness and build a more resilient culture within university settings.

Keywords

sustainable earthquake awareness, earthquake awareness, disaster preparedness, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), risk perception

Supporting Institution

The authors declared that this study has used no support data from other institutions

Ethical Statement

Approval for the study was obtained from the ethics committee. Additionally, consent was obtained from the participants through the Informed Voluntary Consent form at the beginning of the study.

Thanks

We thank the students at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University for participating in this study. This study was presented as a summary under the title "Sustainable Earthquake Awareness Levels of University Students and Related Factors" at the 3rd International Disaster Congress.

References

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APA
Öztürk, G., Karayilanoğlu, B., & Sakar, F. S. (2025). University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness. Lectio Socialis, 9(1), 111-126. https://doi.org/10.47478/lectio.1800490
AMA
1.Öztürk G, Karayilanoğlu B, Sakar FS. University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness. Lectio. 2025;9(1):111-126. doi:10.47478/lectio.1800490
Chicago
Öztürk, Göksel, Başak Karayilanoğlu, and Fatıma Sıla Sakar. 2025. “University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and Its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness”. Lectio Socialis 9 (1): 111-26. https://doi.org/10.47478/lectio.1800490.
EndNote
Öztürk G, Karayilanoğlu B, Sakar FS (December 1, 2025) University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness. Lectio Socialis 9 1 111–126.
IEEE
[1]G. Öztürk, B. Karayilanoğlu, and F. S. Sakar, “University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness”, Lectio, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 111–126, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.47478/lectio.1800490.
ISNAD
Öztürk, Göksel - Karayilanoğlu, Başak - Sakar, Fatıma Sıla. “University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and Its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness”. Lectio Socialis 9/1 (December 1, 2025): 111-126. https://doi.org/10.47478/lectio.1800490.
JAMA
1.Öztürk G, Karayilanoğlu B, Sakar FS. University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness. Lectio. 2025;9:111–126.
MLA
Öztürk, Göksel, et al. “University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and Its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness”. Lectio Socialis, vol. 9, no. 1, Dec. 2025, pp. 111-26, doi:10.47478/lectio.1800490.
Vancouver
1.Göksel Öztürk, Başak Karayilanoğlu, Fatıma Sıla Sakar. University Students’ Sustainable Earthquake Awareness and its Determinants: Toward a Culture of Disaster Preparedness. Lectio. 2025 Dec. 1;9(1):111-26. doi:10.47478/lectio.1800490