Risk Perception

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Risk Perception
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The fundamental dilemma of health risk
communication

• The risks that kill people and the risks that
  alarm people are completely different
• Covello y Sandman, 2001.

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Theory of humanist psychology

• Maslows hierarchy of needs
• Physiological needs
• Safety needs
• Psychological needs
• Self-esteem needs
• Self-actualization needs

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• Risk Hazard Outrage
• (values)
• Covello y Sandman, 2001.

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• To understand Risk Perception, we must answer the
  following questions
•  
• What kind of individuals is the public made up
  of?
• What factors determine risk perceptions and
  attitudes?
• How are risk perceptions and attitudes
  manifested?
• What can be done to soften attitudes regarding
  the risk?

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• Elements that influence the communitys
• risk perception
•  
• How true is the risk?
• What is the absolute risk?
• Are you really at risk?
• What is obtained in exchange for the risk?
• Can you do anything about the risk?

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Characteristics of the hazard that have an
influence on Risk Perception

• Acceptable Risks
• Voluntary
• Under your control
• Clearly beneficial
• Fairly distributed
• Natural
• Statistical
• From a reliable source
• Familiar
• Those that affect adults
• Fischhoff, et al., 1981

• Unacceptable risks
• Involuntary
• Controlled by others
• Of little or no benefit
• Unfairly distributed
• Man-made
• Catastrophic
• From unknown sources
• Unfamiliar, exotic
• Those that affect children

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SourceCanadian Food Inspection Agency
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Voluntary Risk
Involuntary Risk
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Outrage factors andRisk Perception

• Comprehension
• Uncertainty
• Delayed effects
• Effects on children
• Effects on future generations
• Dread

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Outrage factors andRisk Perception (Continued)

• Trust
• Attention of the mass media
• Reversibility
• Ethical and moral nature
• Man-made versus natural origin
• Covello y Sandman, 2001.

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Risk assessment is influenced by the bias of the
perception

• Availability bias Judging probability by how
  easily the events can be brought to mind
• Anchor bias Assessments influenced by the event
• Optimistic bias Belief that one is running a
  slighter risk than the population at large
  (thats not going to happen to me)

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Source Canadian Food Inspection Agency
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Dimensions of trust

• Commitment
• Competence
• Care
• Openness and honesty

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What determinesRisk Perception?

• Individual level in Maslows hierarchy of needs
• Individual and social values
• Culture
• Experiences

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What determinesRisk Perception?(Continued)

• Level of education
• Outrage factors
• Who the person is and how he/she is affected
• Level of control over the event

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Perception is reality