PSI - Issue 78

Andrea Digrisolo et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 761–768

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Additionally, the level of population preparedness has been analyzed to obtain meaningful insights into people’s awareness and, more importantly, their needs. The results show that, in recent years, people have become increasingly aware of living in a multi-hazard environment. However, this awareness is not yet matched by an adequate level of preparedness, resulting in a clear demand for more information. An analysis conducted at the European level shows that Italy is the only country where geological risks are considered a priority, followed by flood risk. This result may be ascribed to the characteristics of the Italian territory, largely exposed to such hazards, as well as to prominent communication activities carried out in Italy over the past ten years, mainly focused on natural hazards which have significantly contributed to increasing public awareness of them. Among these activities, the "Io non rischio" campaign stands out. Launched in 2011 with a focus on earthquake risk, it was expanded in 2014 to include flood risk and now covers eight different hazards. While it is plausible to assume that this initiative has played a significant role in raising public awareness, further studies are in progress to better examine this relationship, for example, to understand the campaign ’s impact on the adoption of requalification measures publicly funded in Italy in the last years (e.g., Superbonus and Sismabonus). The analysis also revealed that, in Italy, trust in public institutions is lower than the European average, while trust in volunteer organizations ranks among the highest in Europe. Bridging this gap is crucial, as literature highlights a strong correlation between trust in institutions and proactive behaviors. In this context, an important contribution can and should come from the scientific community, which can support the authorities' initiatives by ensuring accurate dissemination based on simple and accurate information capable of countering misinformation and fake news. At the same time, volunteer organizations, thanks to their deep-rooted presence in society and the high trust they inspire, can serve as a strategic bridge between citizens, institutions, and the scientific community. Therefore, only effective synergy among all the actors involved can strengthen the civil protection system, making it more capable of responding promptly and efficiently to emergency situations. Acknowledgements This study is part of the activities envisaged by the Agreement between the Italian Department of Civil Protection (DPC) and the ReLUIS Consortium, DPC-ReLUIS Project 2024-2026 WP8, Task 8.2. 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