Skip to main content

Judged Terror Risk and Proximity to the World Trade Center

  • Chapter
The Risks of Terrorism

Part of the book series: Journal of Risk and Uncertainty ((SIRU,volume 15))

Abstract

In November 2001, a nationally representative sample of Americans (N = 973, ages 13–88), queried via WebTVs at home, judged the probability of five terror-related events (e.g., being injured in an attack) and three “routine” risks (e.g., being a victim of other violent crime), in the following 12 months. Judgments of terror risks, but not routine risks, were related to whether respondents were within 100 mi of the World Trade Center. This relationship was found only in the following demographic groups, and not their complements: men, adults, whites, and Republicans. These differential responses to risk have both theoretical and policy implications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Archer, John. (1999). The Nature of Grief. The Evolution and Psychology of Reactions to Loss. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, Roy F. and L. Sommer, Kristin. (1997). “What do Men Want? Gender Differences and Two Spheres of Belongingness: Comment on Cross and Madson,” Psychological Bulletin 122 (1), 38–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blocker, Thelma J. and Deborah L, Eckberg. (1989). “Environmental Issues as Women’s Issues: General Concerns and Local Hazards,” Social Science Quarterly 70, 586–593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruine de Bruin, Wändi et al. (2000). “Expressing Epi stemic Uncertainty: It’s a Fifty-Fifty Chance,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 81, 115–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruine de Bruin, Wändi et al. (2002). “What Number is `Fifty-Fifty’?: Distributing Excessive 50% Responses in Elicited Probabilities,” Risk Analysis 22, 713–723.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cross, Susan E. and Madson, Laura. (1997). “Models of the Self. Self-Construals and Gender,” Psychological Bulletin 122 (1), 5–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, Patricia. (2002, October 12). “Experts Suggest Ways to Avoid Being Target,” The Washington Post, pp. A18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Denis, Michael J. (2001). “Are Internet Panels Creating Professional Respondents?” Marketing Research Summer: pp. 34–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischhoff, Baruch. (2002). “Assessing and Communicating the Risks of Terrorism,” In Albert H. Teich, Stephen D. Nelson, and Stephen J. Lita (eds.), Science and Technology in a Vulnerable World. Washington, DC: AAAS, pp. 51–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischhoff, Baruch, Ann Bostrom, and Marilyn J. Quadrel. (2002). “Risk Perception and Communication,” In Roger Detels, James McEwen, Robert Beaglehole, and Heizo Tanaka (eds.), Oxford Textbook of Public Health. London: Oxford University Press, pp. 1105–1123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischhoff, Baruch and Wändi Bruine de Bruin. (1999). “Fifty/fifty = 50?” Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 12, 149–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischhoff, Baruch et al. (2000). “Teen Expectations for Significant Life Events,” Public Opinion Quarterly 64, 189–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gabriel, Shira and Wendi L. Gardner. (1999). “Are There `His’ and `Hers’ Types of Interdependence? The Implications for Gender Differences in Collective versus Relational Interdependence for Affect, Behavior and Cognition,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77 (3), 642–655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gettleman, Jeffrey. (2002, October 25). “A Frenzy of Speculation Was Wide of the Mark,” New York Times, p. A29 Halpern-Felsher, Bonnie L. and Susan

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Millstein. (2002). “The Effects of Terrorism on Teens’ Perception of Dying: The New World is Riskier than Ever,” Journal of Adolescent Health 30 (5) 308–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, Eric. J. and Amos Tversky. (1983). “Affect, Generalization, and the Perception of Risk,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 45, 20–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krotki, Karol and J. Michael Dennis. (2001, August). “Probability-based Survey Research on the Internet,” Paper Presented at the 53rd Conference of the International Statistical Institute, Seoul, Korea.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, Jennifer S. et al. (2003). “Emotion and Perceived Risks of Terrorism: A National Field Experiment,” Psychological Science 14, 144–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, Jennifer S. and Dacher Keltner. (2001). “Fear, Anger, and Risk,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 81 (1), 146–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loewenstein, George F. et al. (2001). “Risk as Feelings,” Psychological Bulletin 127, 267–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millstein, Susan G. and Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher. (2002). “Perceptions of Risk and Vulnerability,” Journal of Adolescent Health 31, 10–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mirowsky, John. (1995). “Age and the Sense of Control,” Social Psychology Quarterly 58, 31–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quadrel, Marilyn J., Baruch Fischhoff, and Wendy Davis. (1993). “Adolescent (In)vulnerability,” American Psychologist 48, 102–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, Catherine E. and John Mirowsky. (2002). “Age and the Gender Gap in the Sense of Personal Control,” Social Psychology Quarterly 65 (2), 125–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlenger, William E. et al. (2002). “Americans’ Reactions to Terrorist Attacks,” Journal of the American Medical Association 288, 581–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schuster, Mark A. et al. (2001). “A National Survey of Stress Reactions after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks,” The New England Journal of Medicine 345 (20), 1507–1512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, Benjamin A. and Neal Krause. (2001). “Exploring Race Variations in Aging and Personal Control,” Journal of Gerontology Series B-Psychology Sciences & Social Sciences 56B (2), 5119 - S124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shuchter, Stephen R. and Sidney Zisook. (1993). “The Course of Normal Grief,” In Margaret S. Stroebe, Wolfgang Stroebe, and Robert O. Hansson (eds.), Handbook of Bereavement. New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 23–43.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Slovic, Paul. (ed.). (2001). The Perception of Risk. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tversky, Amos and Daniel Kahneman. (1973). “Availability: A Heuristic for Judging Frequency and Probability,” Cognitive Psychology 5 (2), 207–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tversky, Amos and Daniel Kahneman. (1973). “On the Psychology of Prediction,” Psychological Review 80 (4), 237–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tversky, Amos and Daniel Kahneman. (1974). “Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases,” Science 185, 1124–1130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaughan, Elaine. (1993). “Individual and Cultural Differences in Adaptation to Environmental Risks,” American Psychologist 48, 673–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viscusi, W. Kip and Richard J. Zeckhauser. (2003). “Sacrificing Civil Liberties to Reduce Terrorism Risks,” Journal of Risk and Uncertainty 26 (2/3), 99–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, Neil D. (2000). “Perceived Probability, Perceived Severity, and Health-Protective Behavior,” Health Psychology 19 (1), 65–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, Neil D. (1980). “Unrealistic Optimism About Future Life Events,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 39 (5), 806–820.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Baruch Fischhoff .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2003 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Fischhoff, B., Gonzalez, R.M., Small, D.A., Lerner, J.S. (2003). Judged Terror Risk and Proximity to the World Trade Center. In: Viscusi, W.K. (eds) The Risks of Terrorism. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, vol 15. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6787-2_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6787-2_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-5428-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-6787-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics