Tsunami evacuation behavior: a systematic review and proposal for a standardized research framework

This study addresses a fundamental challenge in tsunami evacuation research: the fragmentation of knowledge resulting from methodological inconsistencies across studies. Through a systematic review of 61 peer-reviewed publications, the paper synthesizes key insights on evacuation behavior and identifies factors influencing decision-making, such as environmental cues, official warnings, and pre-evacuation delays. Although this review confirms the abundance of empirical findings on tsunami evacuation, it also reveals significant heterogeneity in study design, variable definitions (e.g., “prompt evacuation” and “risk perception”), and a lack of comparative approaches. In response, the study proposes a standardized research framework centered on a “core questionnaire” that defines essential variables and metrics across categories, including demographics, preparedness, event-specific context, and evacuation behavior. This modular core aims to enhance comparability across events, geographic regions, and population groups, supporting more rigorous meta-analysis and policy-relevant findings. Additionally, this study outlines best practices for data collection and analysis, including recommended statistical and spatial techniques, and calls for greater integration of qualitative insights. By advancing standardized, open, and cumulative research practices, the proposed framework provides a foundation for more coherent evidence development, enabling researchers and practitioners to design more effective, evidence-based tsunami preparedness strategies and evacuation policies globally.