“Emergency Decisions”: The Choice of a Simulated Emergency Scenario to Reproduce a Decision-Making Condition in an Emergency Context as Close to Reality as Possible

Abstract

Decisions are a crucial aspect of human life, especially when made in emergency contexts. This research involved 348 subjects, evaluating the relationship between socio-demographic variables and the choice of one of the proposed emergency scenarios suitable for reproducing a decision-making condition in an emergency. Three scenarios were presented: one on climate change, one on pandemics, and one on seismic events. The survey captured individuals’ perceptions of the scenarios for dimensions such as realism (present, past, and future), emotions, risk, worry, emergency, catastrophe, immediate choice, and immediate decision. The results suggest that age, gender, education, and previous experience are predictive factors for subjects’ preferences regarding the chosen scenario and their evaluation of the related dimensions. To optimize decisions in emergencies by institutional decision makers and crisis managers, it is useful to expand knowledge and have data relevant to this area. This research provides a basis in terms of data and tools for designing future research and studies on decision making in emergency contexts.