Doctoral Dissertation Research: Awareness of Vulnerability to Terrorism in Urban Areas: Social Network and Mobility Effects in Worcester, MA and New York, NY

据预测，美国城市仍有可能成为恐怖主义的目标，但人们对城市居民如何准备和应对恐怖事件知之甚少。 因此，在当代美国社会中，关于人们对恐怖袭击的适应能力的理论并不充分。 这篇博士论文研究了个人的社会联系和流动性如何塑造他们对自己的脆弱性和家庭对恐怖主义的脆弱性的看法，以及人们如何根据这些看法采取行动。 由于性别影响社会互动和流动性，还将探讨性别对脆弱性意识的影响。 该项目提出以下问题：（1）个人的个人接触和日常流动性如何影响所获得的关于以下方面的信息类型：经历恐怖主义的可能性;在应对恐怖主义威胁或实际恐怖主义事件时面临的各种选择;对恐怖主义的实际反应;对风险的看法和对脆弱性的认识？ 2)个人接触和流动的性别性质如何影响一个人对易受恐怖主义伤害的认识？ 对马萨诸塞州沃瑟瑟和纽约州纽约大都会地区中低收入家庭的深入访谈将提供数据，说明人们如何通过个人接触和日常流动意识到自己易受恐怖主义伤害。 调查结果将显示个人接触和隶属关系以及流动性和访问地点如何影响个人关于恐怖主义和潜在减轻活动的信息流动，以及对家庭可持续性的认识。 一个扎根的理论，定性的方法是用来生成分析的数据，而几个统计技术是用来建立概括性。研究纽约市后，9/11表明，社会破坏蔓延到现场以外的物理破坏，突出需要重新概念化的存在和创造的城市脆弱性，以及市政当局如何可能最好地准备其人口的恐怖主义。 这项研究将产生相关的政策制定者，特别是应急管理人员，谁寻求减少城市的脆弱性和建立弹性在恐怖主义的时间理论。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个独立的研究生涯。

U.S. cities are predicted to remain likely targets of terrorism, yet little is known about how urban residents prepare for and respond to terrorist events. As a result, there is inadequate theory concerning people's resilience to terrorist attacks in contemporary U.S. society. This doctoral dissertation research examines how individuals' social contacts and mobility shape the way they perceive their vulnerability and the vulnerability of their households to terrorism, and how people act upon these perceptions. Since gender affects both social interactions and mobility, the affect of gender on vulnerability awareness will also be explored. The project asks the following questions: (1) How do an individual's personal contacts and daily mobility affect the type of information acquired about the probability of experiencing terrorism; the exposure to a range of choices for responding to the threat of terrorism or actual terrorist events; the actual response to terrorism; and the perception of risk and awareness of vulnerability? 2) How does the gendered nature of personal contacts and mobility affect a person's awareness of vulnerability to terrorism? In-depth interviews with low- and middle-income households in the Worceser, MA and New York, NY metro areas will provide data on how people become aware of their vulnerability to terrorism through their personal contacts and daily mobility. The findings will show how personal contacts and affiliations, as well as mobility and locations visited, affect information flows to individuals regarding terrorism and potential mitigation activities, as well as awareness of household vulnerabilty. A grounded theory, qualitative approach is used to generate analyse the data, while several statistical techniques are used to establish generalizability.Research on New York City after 9/11 shows that social destruction spread beyond the site of physical destruction, highlighting the need to reconceptualize the existence and creation of urban vulnerabilities and how municipalities might best prepare their populations for terrorism. This research will generate theory relevant for policy makers, especially emergency managers, who seek to reduce urban vulnerability and build resiliency in a time of terrorism. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish an independent research career.