Flood risk perception of rural households in western mountainous regions of Henan Province, China

Understanding and improving public risk perception has become increasingly important in modern flood risk management. In this study, a household risk perception index (HRPI) was constructed using four indicators (likelihood, fear, impact, and awareness) and used to assess the flood risk perception of rural households in western mountainous regions of Henan Province, China. Eight factors that influence flood risk perception were identified based on existing literature, and their contributions to household flood risk perception were analyzed. The results showed that the number of households with high, moderate and low levels of flood risk perception accounted for about 13.7%, 73.7% and 12.6% of the total interviewed rural households, respectively. The impact analysis of influencing factors to household risk perception showed that (1) women had higher flood risk perception than men. (2) The respondents with more education, lower annual income, children at home and previous flood experience had higher flood risk perception than others. (3) People who lived near rivers had higher flood risk perception than those who lived away from rivers. (4) The age group between 18 and 44 had the highest flood risk perception, followed by older than 60, younger than 18, and the age group between 45 and 60. (5) The ability to perceive flood risk decreased with the increase of the number of people in a household. The findings can be used to help the local government and households improve their flood risk management.