台灣位處於環太平洋地震帶，時常發生重大的地震事件，也造成嚴重的傷亡和財產損失。面對未來不斷的地震威脅，如何有效降低地震所造成的災害，讓台灣民眾能正確認識地震，並且具備防災應變能力，是非常重要且急迫。研究指出，居民的防災、減災及應變能力會隨著災害規模、次數和受災經驗而增加，但我們無法也不可能提供居民受災經驗以提高防災能力。本文主要探討台灣地區在經歷1999年921集集大地震之後，居民的防災能力。以高度潛在地震受災區的台南縣白河居民爲研究對象，並以台中縣東勢災區居民做比較研究，了解居民對於地震災害的識覺、態度、防災調適行爲以及影響行爲的機制，提升居民災害調適能力。
研究結果發現，地理環境的差異造成受災經驗的不同，會影響行爲調適，空間的差異造成經驗上的不同，影響個人的識覺、態度與行爲；個人特性的不同對調適行爲會有不同程度的影響；居民調適行爲與防災應變和地震相關知識有顯著的相關性，居民對地震災害風險的識覺程度高則防災調適行爲愈積極。本文從民眾角度去思考與看待現有的防災問題，期能做爲環境資源管理與防災政策參考。
Taiwan has been suffering many serious earthquake hazards. It causes heavy casualties and property loss. It is necessary to urge residents in earthquake hazard prone area to bear the response ability. Many previous research works have indicated that the residents' ability of precaution to hazard is highly correlated with the experience of hazard. This study is attempt to examine the residents’ ability of precaution to hazard after the Chi-chi earthquake on September 21, 1999 in Tungshih, Taichung and Paiho, Tainan. A comparative study between Tungshih and Paiho has been investigated different residents' perception, attitude and behavior of the earthquake hazard.
The research results have indicated that the residents' ability of precaution to hazard is correlated with the experience of hazard, perception of hazard, attitude of hazard and residents' characteristics. The residents' characteristics include gender, age, occupation, the form of family and the length of residence. This study hopes to provide the valuable information to the government's policies of precaution to the environmental hazards.
