1. When crisis strikes Information flows, emotional reactions, and actions taken during different types of crises
Bengt Johansson

2. Questions Will different types of crises influence how we:
seek information
react emotionally
take action
….. independent of who we are?
Will our individual characteristics influence how we:
….. independent of which type of crisis we are talking about?

3. Five crises in Sweden
Social crises
Natural crises

5. Västmanland forest fire
Survey
LORE (Laboratory of Opinion Research, University of Gothenburg)
Citizen Panel ( respondents)
Web questionaires sent out during or just after the crisis
People living in the area affected by the crisis
Social crises
Natural crises
Instagram crisis
Husby riots
Hamlstad harbor fire
Simone storm
Västmanland forest fire
178
1 783
520
1 907
1 449

6. How did they learn there is a crisis going on?
Siren 1 %
Friends, family and personal experience 17%
Traditional mass media 68 %
Internet 14 %

7. Information paths: crisis type & individual characteristics
More traditional media during crisis erupts during the night or if the process of the crisis is fast
More local media if the scope of the crisis is local
Development of widespread alternative information services (like weather sites) will have major importance for information dissemination
Media use pattern will affect how people are informed (older=trad media/younger=social media)

8. How does it feel? Husby riots Harbor fire Forest fire Simone storm
Empathy
Anxiety
Resignation
Nothing
Fear
Sadness
Anger
Exxageration
Forest
fire
Simone
storm

9. Emotional reactions: crisis type & individual characteristics
Anxiety (independent effects)
Crisis type
Natural crises = more anxiety
Individual characteristics
Affected by crisis = more anxious
Women = more anxious
High political interest = more anxious
Older = more anxious

10. Things we do during crises
Social crises
Nothing
53%
Securing
20%
Information-
seeking
20%
Contact with
family/friends 8%
Natural
crises

11. Actions taken: crisis type & individual characteristics
Natural crises = more actions taken
Individual characteristics
Men = no action
Women = contact with family/friends, take action
Anxious = seek information, take action
Affected = take action
Political interest = seek information, contact with family/friends BUT no action

12. Conclusions
Crisis type will both affect how people seek information, how they react emotionally and take action (independent of individual characteristics)
Some individuals will reacte the same way independet of crisis type (women, high political interest, affected, general anxiety)
Crisis communication systems must be flexible to both meet the requirements of different types of crises and people’s individual characteristics

13. Thank you! Bengt Johansson Professor in Journalism and
Mass Communication
University of Gothenburg