A Broadly Applicable Warning Response Index: Cross‐Hazard Validation for Enhanced Early Warning Communication

Multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) play a pivotal role in reducing disaster risks and significantly enhancing community resilience. However, despite their widespread implementation, the effectiveness of MHEWS is constrained by challenges in warning dissemination and communication (WDC). To address this limitation, this study developed and validated a broadly applicable instrument for assessing the effectiveness of WDC-the warning response index (WRI). Using data from two surveys (n = 1580), we examined the internal consistency, dimensional structure, and predictive validity of the WRI. The results show that (1) the WRI demonstrates a stable multidimensional structure and high reliability and validity across multiple hazard types; (2) the translation of intentions into concrete protective actions is relatively weak, particularly under extreme weather conditions; (3) conventional measures of warning response intention primarily capture individuals' cognitive evaluation and information processing, and therefore fail to adequately capture the intention-action gap; (4) compared with unidimensional measure, the WRI more effectively predicts the overall effectiveness of WDC. We argue that future research should pay greater attention to the intention-action gap and that targeted WDC strategies should be optimized based on the characteristics of both warning messages and recipients.