Enhancing Seismic Risk Awareness through Citizen Science: A case study in a High School in Northeastern Italy

This research expands the experience and results acquired within the citizen science pilot project CEDAS (Censimento dell’Edificato per la stima del Danno Sismico), which involved more than 300 students from high schools in Udine (Italy) and allowed collecting more than 8000 building questionnaires (Peresan et al., 2023, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/esss.2023.10088; Scaini et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102755) in different municipalities of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, including Udine and surrounding areas.

The activity was implemented within five months, from January to May 2025, in the framework of the RETURN "multi-risk science for resilient communities under a changing climate" and the PRIN-SMILE (Statistical MachIne Learning for Exposure development) projects. It involved 60 students from the “Copernico” High School in Udine, Italy, and included general lectures on seismic hazard, exposure and risk, as well as interactive quizzes, all specifically designed to enhance seismic risk awareness.

Besides technical training on buildings data collection, a lecture on statistical data exploration analysis was conducted. This allowed students were able to carried out multivariate and comparative analyses between the newly collected and existing datasets, including results interpretation. Finally, the results obtained by different groups of students were presented to an audience composed by representatives of local institutions, regional Civil Protection personnel, engineers, Researchers, and students from past editions.

With respect to earlier editions, this study emphasized the social dimension of this citizen science activity, enriching the contents of the proposed experience, and quantitatively investigating the improvement perceived by participants with respect to the topics covered by the modules (lectures, data collection and analysis). To this end, a specific questionnaire was created, consisting of 38 items, with the aim of quantifying similar activities in a repeated cross-sectional perspective.

The questionnaire outcomes were analysed using statistical software (e.g. RStudio and JASP). Internal consistency of the adapted scales was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, while the perceived improvement reported by respondents was analysed using Paired t-test, Pearson’s Chi-squared test and ANOVA. The Pearson’s Chi-Square Test results (p=0.013, χ²=25.50, Df = 12) highlighted a statistically significant difference in the perceived improvement across the three assessed dimensions (Seismic Hazard, Built Environment and Territorial Context). In particular, participants reported the highest perceived improvement in the dimension of seismic hazard understanding. The Paired T-test revealed a statistically significant average improvement in perceived Data Exploration Skills (p-value=4.999^e-15; mean difference=1.10 points).

We recall that risk depend on three elements: hazard, exposure and vulnerability. Awareness is a factor modulating individuals’ vulnerability to natural hazards, that therefore should be considered as a dynamic, rather than a static, element in risk assessment. The improvement in individual awareness, achieved in similar educational activities, may have positive feedback in modulating risks, especially in situations where hazards and context significantly vary over space and/or time.