Half of People Living in Flood-Prone Areas Never Discuss Climate Risks with Anyone, New International Study Finds

For Immediate Release

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Herdon, VA, March 11, 2026, 2026 – Despite escalating flood events worldwide, half of residents living in flood-vulnerable coastal areas have not had a single conversation about flood risk or climate adaptation with anyone in their social network, according to a new study published in the journal Risk Analysis.

The findings, drawn from a survey of more than 1,600 coastal residents in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, carry significant implications for how governments and communicators design policies to accelerate climate adaptation.

• Climate change remains an unspoken topic. Despite the rise of climate-related extremes globally, roughly half of respondents reported no interaction with their peers at all about climate change impacts and adaptation. Those that did talk about it discussed climate changes less than five times a year on average.
• Friends and Family, Not Neighbors, Drive the Conversation. Only 14 percent of the social contacts people identified as flood-risk discussion partners were neighbors. The dominant peer group was family and friends (55%), challenging models that assume spatial proximity drives information-sharing about property-level adaptation measures.
• Women More Likely to Engage Than Men. A consistently higher proportion of men was found among those who reported no social interactions on flooding topics. Women were more likely to be active communicators about flood risk, consistent with broader gender differences documented in climate risk perception research.
• A Dutch Exception. The Netherlands was the only country where discussion of government flood policy was strongly correlated with other climate topics. Researchers attribute this to entrenched institutional trust, Dutch residents broadly expect their government to take the lead on flood protection, shaping not just their individual behavior but what they talk about with others.
• No visual cues for neighbors to activate social pressure. Unlike more visible climate mitigation strategies, such as solar panels, property-level climate adaptation measures (like flood-proofing sewage pipes or moving a water-meter upstairs) are rarely seen by or talked about between neighbors, despite proximity. This lack of visibility contributes to a failure in the “neighborhood peer effect” that often drives behavioral change in other contexts.
• Experience and Fear Activate Communication. Individuals who have personally experienced flooding and those with higher risk perception are significantly more likely to engage in discussions about flood risk and adaptation. This pattern held across all three countries, supporting the Social Amplification of Risk Framework, which links direct hazard experience and heightened concern to expanded social communication.

“How we perceive risks and the frequency of conversations we have about climate change tells us there is a significant gap between the urgency of the climate risk and the social awareness needed to act on it,” said Thorid Wagenblast, co-author of the study. “The good news is that a relatively small group of engaged communicators, such as friends, family and colleagues, could become powerful agents of change if policymakers know how to activate them”, according to Tatiana Filatova, co-author and the leader of the NWO VIDI project on ‘Social Tipping Points’ supporting this study.

These findings offer actionable guidance for decision-makers building public support for climate action, particularly in flood-prone coastal communities. The authors recommend activating social networks to amplify key messages and identifying trusted “spreading hubs,” such as doctors, religious leaders, or sports coaches, who can carry climate information into their communities.

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About Society for Risk Analysis

The Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) is a multidisciplinary, global organization dedicated to advancing the science and practice of risk analysis. Founded in 1980, SRA brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from diverse fields including engineering, public health, environmental science, economics, and decision theory. The Society fosters collaboration and communication on risk assessment, management, and communication to inform decision-making and protect public well-being. SRA supports a wide range of scholarly activities, publications, and conferences. Learn more at www.sra.org.

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