Subjects: Psychology >> Applied Psychology Subjects: Safety Science and Technology >> Public Safety submitted time 2020-07-14
Abstract: Terrorist attacks can occur anywhere. As the threat of terrorism develops, the China–Eurasia Expo held in Urumqi, China, is attracting fewer potential visitors. A nationwide survey of 2034 residents from 31 provinces/municipalities in China was conducted to examine the relation between the distance to respondents’ city of residence from Urumqi and their levels of concern for safety and security concerning the expo. The two were found to be positively related: the closer the respondents lived to ?rümqi, the less concerned they were with the safety and security of the expo. This is consistent with the ‘psychological typhoon eye’ effect, which states that people living closer to the centre of an unfortunate event (whether natural or man-made hazards) are less concerned with the event’s negative consequences. This effect appears to hold for terrorism. There are implications of this finding for international counter-terrorism practice, tourism, and research.
Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review