Correlates of Socio-economic Characteristics of Respondents and Their Practice on Disaster Coping Strategies Towards Improving Livelihoods

Abstract

Climate-related disasters pose continuing challenges to livelihood security in disaster-prone areas of Bangladesh. This study examined the relationships, contributions, and direct and indirect effects between selected characteristics of disaster-affected people and their practice of disaster coping strategies in Gangachara Upazila of Rangpur District. The study was conducted from September to December 2021. Data were collected from 302 respondents randomly selected from the disaster-affected population using qualitative and quantitative techniques. Nineteen personal, economic, social, and psychological characteristics were considered as independent variables, while disaster coping strategy practice was treated as the dependent variable. Descriptive statistics, Duncan’s Multiple Range Test, chi-square analysis, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and stepwise multiple regression were used in the analysis. The findings showed that sixteen of the nineteen selected characteristics had significant relationships with disaster coping strategy practice. These characteristics included age, education, farm size, disaster-affected farm, annual income, household assets, participation in income-generating activities, training experience, extension media contact, environmental awareness, knowledge of disaster coping strategies, credit received, scope of work in vulnerable situations, awareness of social safety net programmes, perception of climate change, and perception of disasters. Family size, water and sanitation condition, and risk orientation did not show significant relationships. The findings indicate that several respondent characteristics are associated with the practice of disaster coping strategies in the study area.