9316749 Palm A great deal of attention has been given to the development of cross-national policy in earthquake hazard reduction-particularly under the aegis of the International Decade for Natural Hazard Reduction. For example, California officials have investigated some of the policies and practices in force in Japan-and the ways in which these policies might be translated in the U.S. context. Previous research shows a relationship between the ways the risks are communicated and their salience to individuals. Studies have also analyzed the effects of public policy on individual behavior. But are the relationships observed in U.S. studies applicable in other cultures? Indeed, have our own conclusions possibly been biased and therefore impoverished as a result of their mono-cultural empirical base. Using survey methodology the study has two specific goals: (1) to determine cross-cultural similarities and differences in perception and understanding of earthquake risk; and (2) to determine cross-cultural similarities and differences in the adoption of mitigation measures, including non-mandatory earthquake insurance. ***
