Impact of Socioeconomic Status and Demographic Composition on Disaster Mortality: Community-Level Analysis for the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami

Takeshi Miyazaki

doi:10.1007/s13753-022-00454-x

Volume 13 Issue 6

Feb. 2023

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Article Navigation > International Journal of Disaster Risk Science > 2022 > 13(6): 913-924

Takeshi Miyazaki. Impact of Socioeconomic Status and Demographic Composition on Disaster Mortality: Community-Level Analysis for the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2022, 13(6): 913-924. doi: 10.1007/s13753-022-00454-x

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Takeshi Miyazaki. Impact of Socioeconomic Status and Demographic Composition on Disaster Mortality: Community-Level Analysis for the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2022, 13(6): 913-924. doi: 10.1007/s13753-022-00454-x

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Impact of Socioeconomic Status and Demographic Composition on Disaster Mortality: Community-Level Analysis for the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami

doi: 10.1007/s13753-022-00454-x

Takeshi Miyazaki^,

School of Economics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan

Funds:

I greatly appreciate Momi Dahan, Yohei Kobayashi, Hiroki Tanaka, and participants in the seminars at Doshisha University and Kyushu University and in the 70th Congress of the Japanese Institute of Public Finance (JIPF) and the 74th Congress of the International Institute of Public Finance (IIPF) for their helpful and insightful comments on the earlier version of this article. This study was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI (Grant No. 16K13370).

Received Date: 2022-10-24
Accepted Date: 2022-10-24

Available Online: 2023-02-09

Publish Date: 2022-12-01

Abstract

Abstract

On 11 March 2011, the Tohoku tsunami hit the northeastern region of Japan, causing massive damage to people and property. The tsunami was bigger than any other in Japan's recorded history, but the damage varied by community. This research addressed the effects of socioeconomic status and demographic composition on mortality in the 2011 Tohoku tsunami using community-level data. These effects were estimated using regression analysis, taking into account a variety of potential contributing aspects at the community level, including strength of the tsunami, population characteristics, gender, age, education, household composition, evacuation methods, and occupation. It was found that the height of the tsunami and the shares of three-generation households and employees in the manufacturing industry are all positively correlated with tsunami mortality. The impacts of these factors on mortality are particularly large for the older adults.
- 2011 Tohoku tsunami,
- Community-level analysis,
- Demographic composition,
- Disaster risk reduction,
- Mortality,
- Socioeconomic status

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References(38)

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