Determining adults' attitudes towards earthquakes

The research was conducted as a descriptive study to determine the attitudes of adults living in Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Demetevler neighborhoods of Yenimahalle district of Ankara towards the earthquakes. The population of the research consisted of 35351 adult individuals over the age of 18 living in Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Demetevler neighborhoods of Yenimahalle district. The sampling method with a known population was used in the sample selection of the research and the research was completed with 466 adult individuals. A questionnaire and Earthquake Attitude Scale were used to collect data. The questionnaire includes questions to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of adults and questions to determine their situation regarding the earthquake. Data analysis was done in SPSS 26.0 statistics program; number, percentage, mean value, standard deviation and minimum-maximum values were calculated by using Independent t Test and One-Way Analysis of Variance. In the study, the adults' average total score of the Attitude Scale Towards Earthquakes was found to be 170.71±14.86. It was found out that adults' gender, marital status, age, having children and desire to receive earthquake-related education had a statistically significant effect on their attitudes towards the earthquake (p<0.05). It was also found out that 52.6% of adults did not receive earthquake-related training, 86.7% wanted to receive earthquake-related training, and 82.6% did not feel ready for a possible earthquake. As a result, it was determined that adults had positive attitudes towards the earthquake.