Societal Response to Revised Earthquake Probabilities in the San Francisco Bay Area

Using data collected on the general public, health, safety, and welfare agencies and organizations, and businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, we describe what people thought and did in response to receiving an informational newspaper insert about revised probabilities for the next damaging Bay Area earthquake. Our findings suggest that the insert was relatively successful in reaching all groups, that Bay Area residents are making earthquakes a permanent part of local culture, and that sufficient knowledge may be in-hand with which to effectively and productively manage public earthquake predictions.