Abstract
Three hundred and sixty three participants (233 from New Zealand, 130 from overseas) were surveyed on their preparedness for, and confidence at performing tasks in two hypothetical scenarios; being lost in the bush and losing their home after an earthquake. Participants compared their abilities to those of the average person from their own country. In the bush scenario, 67% of New Zealanders and 69% of those from overseas showed an optimism bias by rating themselves better than average. However, in the earthquake scenario 72% of New Zealanders and only 33% of those from overseas showed this bias. The difference in confidence between scenarios can be explained by the likelihood of having experienced the scenario examined, and it is suggested that New Zealanders may be overconfident in their abilities in a scenario they have not experienced.
