The 2008 Sichuan (Wenchuan) earthquake in China, which killed 69,197 people and left 18,222 missing, may have caused a fear of living on higher apartment floors, says a group of researchers led by Guoying Deng of Sichuan University. Their analysis found that average housing prices in the city of Chengdu, located 90 km from the earthquake’s epicenter, dropped 13.5% after the disaster, but units in upper floors showed a higher drop than units in lower floors. The researchers observed a jump of about 9% in the prices of first- and second-floor units after the earthquake, compared to a decrease of 3% in the prices of those on floors seven and above. The differences were also clearer in the west side of Chengdu, which was closer to the earthquake’s epicenter. These temporary price changes suggest the disaster increased risk perception and fear of living in upper floors, the authors say.
Source: Do natural disasters cause an excessive fear of heights? Evidence from the Wenchuan earthquake
