How to motivate people to assume responsibility and act upon their own protection from flood risk in The Netherlands if they think they are perfectly safe?

The aim of this paper is to investigate the issue of cognitive perception of flood risk and the readiness of individuals to undertake protective action in The Netherlands. This research is motivated by the emerging change in thinking from flood probability to flood risk in The Netherlands which will have important implications for flood management policy in the country. In the face of this change, risk governance will be affected at various levels, and will interlude the administrative, social and economic perspectives. The question that governs current debate as in academic as in policy-making circles is: Should people be assumed responsible for their undergoing flood risk, or should this responsibility lie with the government of the country under flood risk?