Rural residents’ participation in community-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR): the role of moral self-identity, perceived responsibility and face consciousness

Community-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR) is an important tool that requires the collaboration of all stakeholders to mitigate disaster risks in their neighborhoods. Residents’ participation in CBDRR, such as attending training programs and developing emergency plans differs from private adaptation strategies as it is characterized as observable and altruistic. To better understand the motivations for public participation in CBDRR, this study examines the role of moral self-identity, perceived responsibility, and face consciousness on three types of participation intentions, by employing data from rural residents in China (N = 479) and utilizing a mediation-moderation model. The results reveal that: moral self-identity plays a crucial role in enhancing residents’ participation intentions in CBDRR; perceived responsibility mediates this relationship; face consciousness moderates the effect of perceived responsibility on participation intentions. Finally, the moderation effect is stronger in the lower level of CBDRR action. These findings offer important insights into mobilizing public participation in CBDRR.