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Demographic influences on risk perceptions

I Savage1

  • 1Department of Economics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208.

Risk Analysis : an Official Publication of the Society for Risk Analysis
|August 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Demographic factors like sex, education, income, age, and race significantly influence risk perception and dread. This study suggests perceived personal exposure, not lack of information, explains these differences in hazard perception.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Risk Perception Studies

Background:

  • Psychologists have studied hazard perception for 15 years, identifying key factors like dread, knowledge, and personal exposure.
  • Previous research suggests distinct perception patterns for different hazard types (technological, consumer, natural).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how individual demographic characteristics influence psychometric perceptions of risk.
  • To determine if demographic factors correlate with specific risk perception dimensions.

Main Methods:

  • A large-scale telephone survey of 1000 Chicago residents was conducted, yielding a dataset of approximately 800 usable responses.
  • Data on dread, risk knowledge, and personal exposure were collected using 7-point scales for four common hazards.
  • Demographic data (age, schooling, income, sex, race) were gathered and analyzed using regression models.

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Main Results:

  • Women, individuals with lower schooling and income, younger adults, and Black respondents reported higher levels of hazard dread.
  • An exception was noted for age-related illnesses, which were feared more by older individuals.
  • The study found no evidence that demographic groups with higher dread were less informed about hazards.

Conclusions:

  • Demographic characteristics significantly shape psychometric perceptions of risk and hazard dread.
  • Perceived personal exposure to a hazard is the most probable explanation for the observed relationship between demographics and dread.
  • Findings challenge previous assumptions linking lower risk acceptance to lack of information in certain demographic groups.