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Related Experiment Videos

Risk target: an interactive context factor in risk perception.

Danièle Hermand1, Serge Karsenty, Yves Py

  • 1Charles-de-Gaulle University, France.

Risk Analysis : an Official Publication of the Society for Risk Analysis
|August 21, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Risk perception varies significantly based on the target audience, with global risks perceived as higher than national or personal risks. This effect differs across hazard types, notably in pollutants and deviance-related risks.

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Area of Science:

  • Risk perception research
  • Psychology
  • Environmental health

Background:

  • Understanding how individuals evaluate risks is crucial for public health and policy.
  • Previous research has explored various factors influencing risk perception, but the impact of specifying the target of risk has not been fully examined across diverse hazard domains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of specifying the target of risk (personal, national, global) on risk evaluation across a wide array of hazards.
  • To determine if the effect of the risk target varies depending on the nature of the hazard.

Main Methods:

  • A between-subjects experimental design was employed.
  • Participants evaluated risks across multiple domains including individual hazards, outdoor activities, medical care, public transportation, energy production, pollutants, sex, deviance, and addictions.

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  • Three risk targets were specified: personal health risk, health risk for people in the country, and health risk for people in the world.

    • Main Results:

    • Risk judgments were significantly higher when the target was 'people in the world' compared to 'people in the country', which were higher than 'personal' risk.
    • The target effect varied by hazard domain, being substantial for pollutants and deviance/sex/addictions.
    • The target effect was minimal or absent in other domains such as common individual hazards, outdoor activities, medical care, and energy production.

    Conclusions:

    • The target specification significantly influences risk perception, with a clear gradient from personal to global risk.
    • The magnitude of this target effect is hazard-dependent, highlighting the need to consider both the nature of the risk and the scope of its potential impact.
    • Findings have implications for risk communication strategies, suggesting that framing risks in a broader context can increase perceived severity.