Optimistic biases in public perceptions of the risk from radon

Survey data were obtained from a random sample of 657 homeowners in New Jersey and also from 141 homeowners who had already monitored their homes for radon. People who had not tested tended to believe that they were less at risk than their neighbors, and they interpreted ambiguous predictors of home radon levels in ways that supported their beliefs of below-average risk. Residents who had already tested their homes were relatively accurate about the probability of health effects. In both groups less than half of those who knew that radon can cause lung cancer were willing to admit that it would be serious if they suffered health effects from this source. The optimistic biases of the public may hamper attempts to encourage home radon monitoring and to promote appropriate mitigation measures in homes with elevated radon concentrations.