Abstract
Social psychologists investigating perceptions of technological and natural hazards have identified critical characteristics of hazards that account for much of the variance in assessments of risk acceptability by non-experts. Additional explanations of variance are being sought through studies of cognitive generalizations (e.g., stigmatization) which simplify, and social interactions which amplify or attenuate, risk judgments.1 This paper examines the possible role of fear in modulating risk perceptions. It is hypothesized that hazards may be judged more or less acceptable depending on the quality of negative consequences which are salient and on evaluative responses to salient consequences. A basic assumption underlying this hypothesis is that there are fates associated with hazards which are perceived to be “worse than death.” It is expected that the degree of anxiety aroused on contemplation of the potential fates of those exposed to hazards will be related directly to the amount of deviation of perceptions from objective risk estimates, although other variables are expected to obscure the relationship.
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Schierow, LJ. (1991). The Role of Salient Fates and Anxiety in Hazard Perception. In: Zervos, C., Knox, K., Abramson, L., Coppock, R. (eds) Risk Analysis. Advances in Risk Analysis, vol 8. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0730-1_42
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0730-1_42
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