| dc.description.abstract | An official report from the German Lower House of Parliament, a representative survey, and a statement from the umbrella organization of German insurance companies suggest that German private households are not sufficiently prepared for a longer-lasting power outage, also known as a blackout. It is the motivation and aim of this Master thesis to propose recommendations to improve this under-preparedness situation. In order to do so, relevant aspects of risk science are drawn up; namely risk communication, risk perception, preparedness and the concept of trust. A plethora of research has been done in these fields. However, there seems to be a gap in research with regard to preparedness, how mass media and niche media transmit risk information and how this information is motivation for individuals to take preparedness actions. In this thesis, with the aid of media content analyses and interviews these questions are addressed. The findings indicate inter alia that individuals who have prepared for a blackout value interpersonal risk communication; are not passively exposed to blackout related information but actively search for it; and rely more on their own knowledge than trust. The motivation to get prepared stems inter alia from the consequences a blackout would imply, and a rational insurance mentality that being prepared is good for a situation if preparedness is needed, however it is even better if it is not needed. This suggests that being prepared has more advantages than being unprepared. Moreover, it suggests that being prepared involves a certain lifestyle. The recommendations at the end of this thesis intend to capture the various findings from which the general public and risk regulators could benefit. | |