Topic 4 - Risk Perceptions Flashcards
What is Direct and Indirect Experience?
Direct - With one’s own eyes
Indirect - Via friends/family and mass media
Both can increase risk perception if they feel they may be at risk
What 3 things impact risk perception through Experience?
- ) Availability Heuristic
- ) Talking
- ) Information
What happened in Whakatane and Hastings? What did surveys conclude?
- Volcanic eruptions on communities in Central North Island, New Zealand.
- Surveys concluded that risk perception was heightened with experience
What is the “Experience but no damage” result?
“I made it through the last fire, I should be fine” approach
What was the Darfield Earthquake?
- Severe earthquake in New Zealand in September 2010
- Strong ground shaking, damage to 100,00 homes
- Liquifaction: soil turns to liquid due to shaking
What is Affect Heuristic?
- People use subtle emotions to assess risk
- Solar vs. Nuclear power example
Positive and negative feelings can affect risk perceptions
What is Dread?
- High fear rating
- low probability, high consequence
Fear of low probaility, high consequence events can increase risk perceptions
Ex.) Nuclear power has a high dread rating
What is Trustworthiness?
- Willingness to rely on another person/organization based on the positive assumptions that they will look after us.
- Trust can reduce risk perception
What is Trust in Structural Mitigation?
- Trusting the structures that are built to protect people in case of a hazard.
Ex.) Netherlands - 60% of population depends on the flood defense system
How does Gender affect Risk Perception?
- Slovic found that females tended to perceive risks higher than their male counterparts
- Why?: Stereotypes, mothers
What was observed in Macias study of Race and Ethnicity with risk perceptions of air pollution ,water pollution, agricultural chemicals, climate change, and nuclear power operation?
- Greater perceived risks were among non-whites, than whites
Race and ethnicity appear to influence risk perceptions
