Positive relationship between education level and risk perception and behavioral response: A machine learning approach

PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0321153 April 3, 2025 5 / 10 PLOS ONE Positive relationship between education level and risk perception and behavioral response Regression (XGBRegressor). Model performance is assessed using of MAE (Mean Absolute Error), MSE (Mean Squared Error), and R², with the goal of identifying the optimal input for an interpretable model. SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations) is employed to inter- pret model predictions, providing insight into how the model arrives at its outcomes [23]. Based on game theory, SHAP calculates the Shapley value for each feature, evaluating its contribution across various feature combinations. This allows us to rank feature impor- tance and uncover key influencing factors. By visualizing feature SHAP values and their relationships with feature values, along with interaction plots, we can construct models that highlight the underlying trends. The data for this study were collected from a questionnaire survey conducted on Wen- juanxing between March 7 and March 9, 2024, yielding 4,507 responses. To ensure data quality, samples with completion times under 200 seconds or over 420 seconds, as well as cases with missing variables, were excluded, resulting in a final dataset of 2,239 valid samples. Variable Type Variable Name Variable Symbol Variable Description Information Access Via Other Channels [15] Q25-4 Credibility of Official (National/ Local) Information [21] Q26 How credible do you find official (national/local) information sources? A. Very

unreliable B. Unreliable C. Neutral D. Reliable E. Very reliable Transparency of Earthquake Infor- mation [21] Q28-1 How would you rate the transparency of earthquake information in your area (e.g., causes, aftershock probabilities, impact range)? A. Very dissatisfied B. Dissatisfied C. Neutral D. Satisfied E. Very satisfied Transparency of Casualty and Eco- nomic Loss Data [21] Q28-2 How would you rate the transparency of earthquake casualty and economic loss information in your area? A. Very dissatisfied B. Dissatisfied C. Neutral D. Satisfied E. Very satisfied Transparency of Earthquake Relief Progress [21] Q28-3 How would you rate the transparency of earthquake relief progress in your area? A. Very dissatisfied B. Dissatisfied C. Neutral D. Satisfied E. Very satisfied Transparency of Earthquake Research Progress [21] Q28-4 How would you rate the transparency of earthquake disaster relief research progress in your area? A. Very dissatisfied B. Dissatisfied C. Neutral D. Satisfied E. Very satisfied Trust in Friends During Earth- quakes [22] Q29-2 During an earthquake, how much do you trust the following individuals or institu- tions? - Friends: A. Very untrustworthy B. Untrustworthy C. Neutral D. Trustworthy E. Very trustworthy Trust in Neighbors During Earth- quakes [22] Q29-3 During an earthquake, how much do you trust the following individuals or institutions? - Neighbors: A. Very untrustworthy B. Untrustworthy C. Neutral D. Trustworthy E. Very trustworthy Trust in Colleagues During Earth- quakes [22]

Q29-4 During an earthquake, how much do you trust the following individuals or institutions? - Colleagues: A. Very untrustworthy B. Untrustworthy C. Neutral D. Trustworthy E. Very trustworthy Trust in Volunteers During Earth- quakes [22] Q29-5 During an earthquake, how much do you trust the following individuals or institutions? - Volunteers: A. Very untrustworthy B. Untrustworthy C. Neutral D. Trustworthy E. Very trustworthy Trust in Media Organizations During Earthquakes [22] Q29-6 During an earthquake, how much do you trust the following individuals or institu- tions? - Media organizations: A. Very untrustworthy B. Untrustworthy C. Neutral D. Trustworthy E. Very trustworthy Trust in Government Agencies During Earthquakes [22] Q29-7 During an earthquake, how much do you trust the following individuals or institu- tions? - Government agencies: A. Very untrustworthy B. Untrustworthy C. Neutral D. Trustworthy E. Very trustworthy Trust in NGOs During Earthquakes [22] Q29-8 During an earthquake, how much do you trust the following individuals or insti- tutions? - Non-Governmental organizations (NGOs): A. Very untrustworthy B. Untrustworthy C. Neutral D. Trustworthy E. Very trustworthy https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0321153.t001 Table 1. (Continued)