Risk perception and risk management
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Date
1989
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Abstract
While experts confine the term risk to a combination of magnitude and probability of adverse effects, laypersons associate with risk a variety of criteria, such as voluntariness, possibility of personal control, familiarity, and others. The better our knowledge about the risk perception processes, the more we are able to improve our risk management skills. Responsive and rational approaches to risk management should include the results of risk perception studies in two ways: First, management has to address the concerns of the affected public and find policiy options that reflect these concerns; secondly, risk reduction or mitigaton should be tailored towards the goal of meeting not only the risk minimization objective but also the implicit criteria of risk characteristics that matter to the public. If these criteria are in conflict with each other, tradeoffs have to be made and justified through legitimate instruments of conflict resolution. Risk perception studies can help to identify public concerns and shape the arena for conflict resolution. In addition, risk perception studies offer valuable insights for designing and implementing risk communication programs.