Wildfires are prevalent natural hazards, especially in the Mediterranean region, where institutional and societal efforts focus on prevention, suppression, and forest rehabilitation. Despite the growing importance of societal perspectives in wildfire management, research on perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes toward wildfires in Türkiye remains limited. This study addressed this gap by developing and employing the Attitudes toward Wildfires Questionnaire (AWQ), first validated with 881 participants and subsequently applied to a comprehensive survey of 323 individuals from five regions differing in forest density and wildfire frequency. Specifically, the study compared participants’ perceptions of wildfire causes with official data from the General Directorate of Forestry (GDF). Results revealed notable discrepancies between societal beliefs and official data from the institution. According to public responses, 56.65% of participants attributed wildfires mainly to intentional causes, 37.15% to negligence or accidents, and 6.19% to natural factors. In contrast, the GDF reported 6.64%, 68.71%, and 24.63% for the same categories, respectively. This mismatch highlights a substantial divergence between public opinion and institutional records. However, the extent to which these discrepancies reflect reporting limitations or perceptual bias remains open to further investigation. Education level significantly shaped perceptions. Secondary school students predominantly believed intentional causes were dominant (77.89%), whereas undergraduates and graduates provided more balanced responses. A negative correlation was found, indicating that higher education fosters more evidence-based understandings of wildfire drivers. Gender and regional differences were more evident in experiences than in attitudes. Men reported witnessing wildfires and participating in suppression more often than women. Participants from the Mediterranean and Aegean, where wildfires are frequent, also reported greater direct experiences. Nevertheless, attitudes toward wildfire causes and suppression remained consistent across regions, suggesting a nationwide pattern of perception. Overall, the study demonstrates that mismatches between public perceptions and institutional data, combined with limited institutional communication, contribute to negative views of suppression efforts. Education emerged as the most decisive factor, while gender and regional variation mainly reflected differences in direct experiences. Strengthening education and institutional communication is essential not only to correct misperceptions, enhance trust, and promote more resilient societal attitudes toward wildfire prevention and suppression in Türkiye, but also to provide insights of global relevance by highlighting how such factors can shape societal resilience in fire-prone regions globally.
Kalender Arıkan (Thu,) studied this question.