Frontiers in Flood Research / Le point de la recherche sur les crues (IAHS Publ. 305, 2006). 155 Flood research from the social perspective: the case of the Tisza River in Hungary ANNA VÁRI & ZOLTÁN FERENCZ Hungarian Academy of Sciences Institute of Sociology, Uri. U. 49, 1014 Budapest, Hungary anna.vari@ella.hu Abstract The frequency and intensity of floods as well as the magnitude of their damage have increased throughout the world during the past decade. Governments face the difficult task of developing suitable prevention and mitigation strategies and strengthening the resilience of the population. Feasible strategies must meet technical, social and political requirements, and, at the same time, must not exceed the given country’s capacity to cope. In response to increasing flood losses in Hungary, between 1999 and 2003, both the Hungarian government and international funding organizations commissioned a number of empirical research studies focusing on public views on floods. One of their aims was to explore the main sources of information on flood hazard and the level of knowledge useful in a crisis situation. Another aim was to learn what the various population groups think of the most important causes and consequences of flood damages and the role of the various actors. Public attitudes towards various prevention and mitigation strategies, as well as sources of emerging conflict (e.g. regarding the siting of emergency reservoirs) were also revealed. The paper presents the most important results of the above investigations. One of the most important findings was that in many respects the views of the public differ from those of the elite groups, especially the water management experts. This underlines the importance of having the alternative flood risk management policies studied not only from the perspective of technical rational, but also from that of social acceptability, before any decision is made. Key words alternative flood risk management; empirical research; flood prevention and mitigation; public attitude; social acceptability Perspective sociale de la recherche sur les crues: Le cas de la rivière Tisza en Hongrie Résumé La fréquence et l’intensité des crues, de même que l’importance des dommages ont augmenté de par le monde au cours de la dernière décennie. Les gouvernements doivent faire face à la tâche difficile consistant à développer des stratégies de prévention et de d’atténuation adaptées et à renforcer les capacités de résistance de la population. Les stratégies envisageables doivent satisfaire des contraintes techniques, sociales et politiques, mais ne doivent pas dépasser les capacités du pays. Entre 1999 et 2003, en réponse à la croissance des dommages dus aux inondations, le gouvernement hongrois et des organismes internationaux de financement ont commandé un certain nombre de recherches empiriques consacrées à l’opinion du public sur les inondations. L’un des leur buts était de déterminer l’origine principale de l’information sur le risque d’inondation et le niveau de connaissance utile en situation de crise. Un autre objectif était de déterminer ce que les différents groupes de la population pensaient des principales causes et conséquences des dommages dus aux inondations ainsi que du rôle des différents acteurs. On a également pu connaître l’attitude du public vis à vis de