This study applies the protection motivation theory (PMT) when analysing homeowner’s flood risk preferences and their risk reduction behaviour. PMT consists of threat appraisal and coping appraisal. Threat appraisal is the individual’s belief that he/she will be exposed to a risk and their opinion of their vulnerability when exposed. Coping appraisal is the individual’s opinion about the efficiency of risk reduction, their own ability to perform risk reduction and the cost of implementation. Previous studies have shown that both threat appraisal and coping appraisal needs to be high if private risk reduction measures are to be implemented. A survey was completed by 1143 households in 4 flood prone residential areas in Sweden. Respondents were asked about their flood experience, their beliefs about their future private flood risk, their trust in public risk reduction and their opinion on how the responsibility for flood risk reduction is divided between different institutions. Respondents were also asked about their preferences for performing 15 specific private risk reducing measures and to motivate their answers. The most frequent motivation for their unwillingness to perform risk reduction was 1) They do not have knowledge of whether the measures will actually reduce their risk. 2) They do not believe that the measures will be efficient in reducing risk. The following motivations are the most frequent among respondents that believe that risk reduction is efficient but still don’ t want to implement measures. 1) They say it is not applicable to their property or they are reluctant for aesthetic reasons. 2) They do not know how to implement the measures. 3) Implementation is too costly. On a more general level there is low trust in public risk reduction since only 20 percent believe that public risk reduction will be efficient in decreasing their private property flood risk. At the same time,however, they believe that the municipality have the largest responsibility when it comes to protecting houses in a residential area from flooding.