Salazar Baño, Alfredo GeovannyChas Amil, María LuisaRuzo Sanmartín, EmilioNogueira Moure, Emilio2024-03-052024-03-052024The Extractive Industries and Society, Volume 17, 2024, 1013982214-790Xhttp://hdl.handle.net/10347/33003Effective disaster risk reduction requires conducting research within communities that gave recognized natural or technological risks, to foster the development of more resilient societies. However, limited information is available regarding risk perception and preparedness for technological hazards in disaster-prone urban areas of South America. The aim of this study is to investigate the factors that influence public risk perception regarding the Trans-Ecuadorian Oil Pipeline System and its relationship with household preparedness for a potential accident in the Metropolitan District of Quito (Ecuador). We assess the link among knowledge, trust in authorities, risk perception, intention to prepare, and preparedness. Results from a sequential mediation analysis reveal that risk perception partially and positively mediates the relationship between knowledge and preparedness and acts as a negative full mediator between the latter and trust. These findings provide valuable information for future risk governance and communication strategies, aimed at enhancing risk perception and improving individual preparedness of individuals, as well as risk mitigation procedureseng© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/)Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacionalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Risk perceptionPreparednessStructural equation modellingTrans-Ecuadorian oil pipeline systemEcuadorjournal article10.1016/j.exis.2023.101398open access