Considerations of the Impact of Seismic Strong Ground Motions in Northern Oltenia (Romania) on Some Indicators of Sustainable Development Characterization of the Region from a Security Perspective

Abstract

This study aims to highlight the degree of perception of the young population (18–35 years old), from the northern region of Oltenia (Gorj County, Romania), regarding the impact of the wave of seismic strong ground motions recorded in the region, starting from 13 February 2023, on some indicators to characterize the sustainable development of the region, in particular, the entrepreneurial potential of the region and the quality of life of the affected population. It was considered opportune to carry out this study, considering the novelty of such a situation, as the respective geographical area has not been subjected to strong ground motions in the recent past. This study was built on the basis of the questionnaire applied to 599 people, with permanent residence in Gorj County and aged between 18 and 35 years. The data were collected between 27 February 2023 and 31 March 2023, more than fourteen days after the first recorded micro-seismic event. The main working method is the combined statistical analysis, on the one hand, of the notification and evaluation of the respondents’ degree of information regarding the manifestation of the wave of seismic strong ground motions, the perception of the authorities’ involvement in the management of its negative effects (material damage and effects on the regional entrepreneurial potential), the negative impact on some indicators for evaluating the sustainable development of the region, and, on the other hand, the engagement in the empirical research of the phenomenon, related to the objectives of sustainable development, in accordance with the bibliography available. This study reveals that, in the context of a very high degree of information of the respondents regarding the manifestation of the wave of seismic strong ground motions (about 95%) and the reasonable degree of access to resources and credible information materials (55.2%), only 45.4% of them expressed their high confidence in the action of the authorities to limit the negative effects of seismic strong ground motions. On the other hand, this study highlights that the highest satisfaction average of the population, among the four WHOQOL-BREF domains, is represented by the “Psychological” domain (75.33 ± 21.17), and the lowest average is represented by the “Environmental” domain (67.45 ± 20.90). This study also reveals that male respondents show a higher satisfaction average than that recorded in the case of female respondents in the “Physical”, Psychological”, and “Environmental” domains; for the “Social” domain, the differences are insignificant in favor of the respondents from the second category. The respondents domiciled in the rural environment compared to those domiciled in the urban environment register higher mean scores in all four domains of the quality of life analysis; the respondents with higher education have a higher average score in the “Physical”, “Psychological”, and “Social” domains, with the exception of the “Environmental” domain. The quality of life indicators for the people in the area affected by earthquakes are adversely influenced by their concerns regarding the potential harm to the region’s touristic and entrepreneurial potential. Specifically, those with a high level of belief in the potential harm to the tourism and entrepreneurial potential of the region have lower quality of life measures than those with a low level of belief. Additionally, individuals with a high level of trust in the authorities’ measures to limit the negative impacts of the earthquakes have better quality of life measures than those with low trust.