Measuring social vulnerability to natural hazards in the Yangtze River Delta region, China

TLDR

Social vulnerability highlights unequal disaster burdens across places, yet China lacks comprehensive multidimensional studies despite frequent natural disasters. The study aims to replicate and test the applicability of the U.S.-based Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI®) in the Yangtze River Delta, China. The authors adapted 29 SoVI® variables for 134 units, performed principal component analysis to derive six vulnerability factors, summed factor scores to compute SoVI® indices, and mapped the most and least vulnerable units while discussing replication limitations and policy implications. The analysis revealed that southern areas such as Jingning, Suichang, Yunhe, Lanxi, Pan'an, and Shengsi exhibit the highest vulnerability, whereas regions southwest, west, and northwest of Shanghai are the least vulnerable.

Abstract

Social vulnerability emphasizes the different burdens of disaster losses within and between places. Although China continuously experiences devastating natural disasters, there is a paucity of research specifically addressing the multidimensional nature of social vulnerability. This article presents an initial study on the social vulnerability of the Yangtze River Delta region in China. The goal is to replicate and test the applicability of the place-based Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI®) developed for the United States in a Chinese cultural context. Twenty-nine variables adapted from SoVI® were collected for each of the 134 analysis units in the study area. Using principal components analysis, six factors were identified from the variable set: employment and poverty, education, poor housing quality, minorities, family size, and housing size—factors similar to those identified for the United States. Factor scores were summed to get the final SoVI® scores and the most and least vulnerable study units were identified and mapped. The highest social vulnerability is concentrated in the southern portions of the study area—Jingning, Suichang, Yunhe, Lanxi, Pan'an, and Shengsi. The least socially vulnerable areas are concentrated southwest, west, and northwest of Shanghai. Limitations of replication are discussed along with policy-relevant suggestions for vulnerability reduction and risk mitigation in China.