Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Health Promotion Perspectives 2228-6497 15 4 2025 12 30 Visitor responses to emergency evacuation: A human behavior approach 370 383 10.34172/hpp.025.44366 EN Omid Akbarzadeh https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4080-4877 Parisa Moshashaei Hamed Golzad https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1453-5060 Henry Liu Seyed Shamseddin Alizadeh Journal Article 10.34172/hpp.025.44366 2025 02 15 2025 08 11 Background: This study investigates human behaviours during emergency evacuations using data collected at the Tabriz Grand Bazaar (TGB), a UNESCO World Heritage site and the world’s largest covered market. While past studies modelled crowd evacuations through simulations, limited empirical research exists on real human behaviour. Methods: Drawing on 749 questionnaire responses from TGB visitors, the study explores four key aspects of evacuation dynamics: (1) proactive vs. reactive responses; (2) competitive vs. cooperative interactions; (3) symmetry-breaking behaviours; and (4) route selection. Results: The analysis revealed that 44.2% of participants reported engaging in competitive behaviours (e.g., pushing), while only 8.4% showed a strong willingness to help others. Over 90% tended to follow others during evacuations, and 77.8% preferred to avoid the least crowded exit, indicating high symmetry-breaking tendencies. No significant correlation was found between gender and evacuation behaviours, but marital status, education, and age were significantly associated with different behavioural strategies. Conclusion: The study contributes by (1) providing behavioural insights for emergency planning, (2) informing the design of realistic evacuation simulations, and (3) offering empirical evidence to support future research.