Strengthening disaster resilience in coastal Bangladesh: The roles of disaster knowledge, government policy support, social capital, and community risk perception

Coastal communities in Bangladesh face growing threats from climate-driven disasters, making local resilience vital for survival and recovery. Grounded in protection motivation theory and resilience theory, this study explores how disaster knowledge, government policy support, and social capital help coastal households withstand natural hazards. It also examines whether community preparedness connects these factors to resilience, and whether risk perception changes these relationships. Using a two-wave survey design to minimize reporting bias, data were gathered from coastal households and analyzed using structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and importance–performance map analysis (IPMA). The findings show that disaster knowledge, government support, and strong social ties directly improve community preparedness, which significantly boosts overall disaster resilience. Community preparedness acts as a key bridge linking all three factors to stronger resilience, whereas perceived risk alone does not alter this impact. Finally, IPMA identifies local preparedness as the single most effective action area for disaster management. These results show that combining practical knowledge, government aid, and community networks gives policymakers a clear, practical roadmap to protect vulnerable coastal regions.