Residents intentions and reasons in the face of bushfire

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Fire Note 117: The research findings presented in this Fire Note explain that different psychological processes between individuals drives their decision making. Residents who wait and see when threatened by a bushfire do so because they fear making the wrong decision. Most residents surveyed who chose this option did not perceive the risks associated with this choice to be great. They did not want to leave unnecessarily and risk losing the house when they could have saved it had they stayed, and they did not want to be exposed to unnecessary danger when leaving. Very few residents who stated they would either leave or wait and see indicated that they would leave early based on the predicted fire danger.

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