Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards *

作者：Susan L. Cutter, Bryan Boruff, W. Lynn Shirley · 发表于：Social Science Quarterly · 年份：2003 · DOI：10.1111/1540-6237.8402002 · 被引用次数：5699 · 研究领域：Disaster Management and Resilience、Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration、Homelessness and Social Issues

Objective. County‐level socioeconomic and demographic data were used to construct an index of social vulnerability to environmental hazards, called the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for the United States based on 1990 data. Methods. Using a factor analytic approach, 42 variables were reduced to 11 independent factors that accounted for about 76 percent of the variance. These factors were placed in an additive model to compute a summary score—the Social Vulnerability Index. Results. There are some distinct spatial patterns in the SoVI, with the most vulnerable counties clustered in metropolitan counties in the east, south Texas, and the Mississippi Delta region. Conclusion. Those factors that contribute to the overall score often are different for each county, underscoring the interactive nature of social vulnerability—some components increase vulnerability; others moderate the effects.