Perceived risk: Psychological factors and social implications

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Date

1981

Authors

Slovic, Paul
Fischhoff, Baruch
Lichtenstein, Sarah

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

The Royal Society

Abstract

Subjective judgments, whether by experts or lay people, are a major component in any risk assessment. If such judgments are faulty, risk management efforts are likely to be misdirected. This paper begins with an analysis of biases exhibited by lay people and experts when they make judgments about risk. Next the similarities and differences between lay and expert evaluations are examined in the context of a specific set of hazardous activities and technologies. Finally, insights from this research are applied to the problems of informing people about risk and forecasting public response towards nuclear power.

Description

32 pages

Keywords

Risk analysis, Judgment, Nuclear power

Citation

Slovic, P., Fischhoff, B., & Lichtenstein, S. (1981). Perceived risk: Psychological factors and social implications. In F. Warner & D. H. Slater (Eds.), The assessment and perception of risk (pp. 17-34). London: The Royal Society.