Related Experiment Videos
Priorities in information desire about unknown risks
René Lion1, Ree M Meertens, Ilja Bot
1Universiteit Maastricht, The Netherlands. r.meertens@gvo.unimaas.nl
Risk Analysis : an Official Publication of the Society for Risk Analysis
|September 13, 2002
Summary
When facing unknown risks, people actively seek information to understand personal relevance. This research explores desired risk information and its link to risk perception dimensions.
Area of Science:
- Risk perception research
- Health communication
- Behavioral science
Background:
- Traditional risk perception research often views individuals as passive recipients of information.
- Emerging evidence suggests people actively seek information when confronted with novel risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific types of risk information individuals desire when encountering an unknown risk.
- To examine the relationship between this information seeking behavior and the core dimensions of risk perception.
Main Methods:
- Conducted nine focus-group interviews to explore information needs.
- Validated focus-group findings with a paper-and-pencil questionnaire distributed to 500 households in the Netherlands.
Main Results:
- Individuals primarily seek information that helps them assess the personal relevance of an encountered risk.
- This information-seeking pattern aligns with appraisal stages in established health behavior models.
- Focus group data revealed dynamic interactions between various risk aspects influencing final risk judgments.
Conclusions:
- Understanding individuals' desire for personally relevant risk information is crucial for effective risk communication.
- Active information seeking plays a significant role in how people perceive and respond to unknown risks.