High risk or low: how location on a "risk ladder" affects perceived risk

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Risk Communication

Background:

• Risk perception is often communicated using a
• risk ladder
• visualizing exposure levels and associated risks.
• The placement of a risk on this ladder may influence how it is perceived.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the perceived threat and intended mitigation actions of homeowners vary based on their assigned position on a risk ladder.
• To determine the impact of risk magnitude and the type of contaminant (radon vs. asbestos) on threat perception and mitigation intentions.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted with New Jersey homeowners.
• Participants were assigned specific contamination levels (radon or asbestos) in their homes, provided with risk information, and completed questionnaires.
• Analysis focused on how assigned risk level, its position on the ladder, and risk magnitude affected threat perception and mitigation intentions.

Main Results:

• The position of an assigned risk level on the ladder (one-quarter vs. three-quarters of the way up) significantly impacted threat perception.
• Mitigation intentions were significantly affected by ladder position in only one of the two studies.
• Variations in assigned risk levels influenced both threat perception and mitigation intentions, while risk magnitude and contaminant type did not.

Conclusions:

• The placement of risks on a communication ladder is a critical factor in shaping public perception of environmental threats.
• Communicators can strategically design risk ladders to emphasize specific risk characteristics and influence audience response.
• Findings suggest that the visual representation and framing of risk information are powerful tools in risk communication.