Emotions, Risk Perceptions and Precautionary Actions of Citizens During a Military Operation Using a New Defence Technology: The Israeli Case of the Iron Dome

Abstract

The current field study used unique data collected in Israel in July 2014, during a military operation that the Israel Defence Forces (I.D.F.) conducted in the Gaza Strip, in reaction to the thousands of missiles launched from there into Israel. During this operation, the new Iron Dome anti-missile defence system was used to protect Israelis exposed to missile attacks. The study examined factors that correlate with decisions to comply with I.D.F. defence instructions regarding behaviour during missile attacks. In addition, the study examined the relationship between attitudes towards the Iron Dome technology and emotions, risk perceptions, and the decision to comply with I.D.F. defence instructions. The results indicate that stronger positive opinions towards Iron Dome were correlated with lower levels of fear and anger, and beliefs that participant’s chances of being injured by a missile were lower than they had been during previous military operation. In addition, better compliance with I.D.F. defence instructions correlated with being more fearful, angrier at Hamas, living closer to Gaza Strip, and having more positive opinions about Iron Dome. The findings also indicate gender differences with respect to factors correlated with risk perceptions, opinions regarding Iron Dome, and precautionary actions during attacks.

Keywords:

• Risk perceptions
• emotions
• terror
• Iron Dome
• precautionary actions

JEL classification:

• D81
• D03
• C93

Notes

1. Our sample does not include Arab participants because the Internet survey company that conducted the poll only has a representative panel for Jews.

2. Among those who had an in-house protected space, 61.8% reported that they always comply, while the compliance rate for those who did not have an in-house protected space was 48.5%.

3. When comparing the levels of emotion and risk perceptions according to distance from the Gaza Strip, we found that participants who lived less than 40 km from Gaza experienced higher levels of fear than those who lived more the 40 km from Gaza (p value < 0.001). In addition, these participants believed that they had a higher chance of getting hurt by missiles if not in a protected place (p value < 0.001). This is reasonable because 80% of the participants who lived less than 40 km from Gaza heard more than 10 alarms, in comparison with 47.8% in the 40 km or more range (p value < 0.001). We find no significant differences between these two groups in levels of emotion for anger, anger at Hamas or anger at the government.