Abstract
The southwest coast of Taiwan is vulnerable to flooding. This study investigated flood risk perception and adaptive behaviour among residents of five coastal villages in coastal Tainan City, Taiwan, through a questionnaire survey yielding 97 valid responses. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyse demographic characteristics, disaster experience, risk perception and adaptive behaviour, and to examine differences across multiple variables. Results indicated the potential effectiveness of the flood‐resilient community programme in promoting adaptive behaviour, and highlighted the need for further in‐depth investigation to disentangle the factors influencing risk perception and adaptive behaviours. A significant positive relationship between understanding levels and the perceived helpfulness of preparedness information highlights the importance of effective information dissemination to enhance community resilience. Communication preferences have shifted toward mobile technologies for receiving timely warnings and preparedness information. Despite these findings, results indicated a persistent preference for engineering solutions and reliance on government infrastructure rather than personal preparedness. The study recommends a necessity for shared responsibility between the government and individuals, and emphasizes improving public risk perception related to flood preparedness and utilizing preferred communication channels to disseminate key information.