Identifying factors influencing housing safety in post-earthquake reconstruction by households in Nepal

This study aims to identify which decision-making factors significantly contribute to housing safety after reconstruction to inform the design of effective reconstruction assistance. The study uses two types of linear regression analysis, with individual and composite variables, to assess the influence of household decision-making factors on the seismic resistance of rebuilt houses.

Thematic analysis of the identified significant factors shows that:

1. Access to construction resources such as masons or labourers and materials influences housing safety
2. Some types of construction knowledge foster, others hinder housing safety
3. Conditional financial resources are beneficial while financial limitations restricted safety
4. Households depending on business as a livelihood limits safety measures,
5. Intrinsic motivation has a positive impact whereas extrinsic motivations reduce safety,
6. Access to reconstruction assistance needs to be timely and practical.