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Do They Know What They are Doing? Risk Perceptions and Smoking Behaviour Among Swedish Teenagers

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  • Petter Lundborg
  • Bj–rn Lindgren

Abstract

Cross-sectional survey data on Swedish adolescents aged 12--18 was used to analyse perceived risks of smoking-related lung cancer, the determinants of these risk perceptions, and how these perceptions related to smoking behaviour. Three major conclusions were drawn: (1) that both smokers and non-smokers overestimated the risks of lung cancer, (2) that these risk perceptions fell substantially with age, but nevertheless implied risk overestimation, and (3) that individuals with higher perceived risks were less likely to be smokers but that risk beliefs had no effect on the number of cigarettes smoked.

Suggested Citation

  • Petter Lundborg & Bj–rn Lindgren, 2004. "Do They Know What They are Doing? Risk Perceptions and Smoking Behaviour Among Swedish Teenagers," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 261-286, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jrisku:v:28:y:2004:i:3:p:261-286
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lundborg, Petter, 2006. "Having the wrong friends? Peer effects in adolescent substance use," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 214-233, March.
    2. Petter Lundborg, 2007. "Smoking, information sources, and risk perceptions—New results on Swedish data," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 217-240, June.
    3. W. Kip Viscusi, 2016. "Risk Beliefs and Preferences for E-cigarettes," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(2), pages 213-240, Spring.
    4. Henrik Andersson, 2011. "Perception of Own Death Risk: An Assessment of Road‐Traffic Mortality Risk," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(7), pages 1069-1082, July.
    5. Caroline Rudisill, 2013. "How do we handle new health risks? Risk perception, optimism, and behaviors regarding the H1N1 virus," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(8), pages 959-980, September.
    6. Kettlewell, Nathan, 2020. "Subjective Expectations for Health Service Use and Consequences for Health Insurance Behavior," IZA Discussion Papers 13445, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Andrea M. Leiter & Gerald J. Pruckner, 2006. "Proportionality of Willingness to Pay to Small Risk Changes – The Impact of Attitudinal Factors in Scope Tests," Working Papers 2006.90, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    8. Feria-Domínguez, José Manuel & Jiménez-Rodríguez, Enrique & Sholarin, Ola, 2015. "Tackling the over-dispersion of operational risk: Implications on capital adequacy requirements," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 206-221.
    9. Cai, Yongxia & Shaw, W. Douglass & Wu, Ximing, 2008. "Risk Perception and Altruistic Averting Behavior: Removing Arsenic in Drinking Water," 2008 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2008, Orlando, Florida 6149, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    10. Frank Sloan & Alyssa Platt, 2011. "Information, risk perceptions, and smoking choices of youth," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 161-193, April.
    11. Petter Lundborg, 0000. "The Health Returns to Education - What can we learn from Twins?," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 08-027/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    12. Lundborg, Petter & Andersson, Henrik, 2008. "Gender, risk perceptions, and smoking behavior," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 1299-1311, September.
    13. Andrea M. Leiter & Gerald J. Pruckner, 2014. "Timing Effects In Health Valuations," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(6), pages 743-750, June.
    14. Shelby Gerking & Raman Khaddaria, 2012. "Perceptions Of Health Risk And Smoking Decisions Of Young People," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(7), pages 865-877, July.
    15. Katherine Carman & Peter Kooreman, 2014. "Probability perceptions and preventive health care," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 43-71, August.
    16. Henrik Andersson & Petter Lundborg, 2007. "Perception of own death risk," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 67-84, February.
    17. Mary Riddel & David Hales, 2018. "Predicting Cancer‐Prevention Behavior: Disentangling the Effects of Risk Aversion and Risk Perceptions," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(10), pages 2161-2177, October.
    18. Lundborg, Petter, 2005. "Social capital and substance use among Swedish adolescents--an explorative study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1151-1158, September.
    19. Belot, Michèle & James, Jonathan & Spiteri, Jonathan, 2020. "Facilitating healthy dietary habits: An experiment with a low income population," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    20. Andersson, Henrik & Lundborg, Petter, 2006. "Perception of Own Death Risk: An Analysis of Road-Traffic and Overall Mortality Risks," Working Papers 2006:1, Swedish National Road & Transport Research Institute (VTI).
    21. Jocelyn Raude & Patrick Peretti-Watel & Jeremy Ward & Claude Flamand & Pierre Verger, 2018. "Are Perceived Prevalences of Infection also Biased and How? Lessons from Large Epidemics of Mosquito-Borne Diseases in Tropical Regions," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 38(3), pages 377-389, April.
    22. Christoph M. Rheinberger & James K. Hammitt, 2018. "Dinner with Bayes: On the revision of risk beliefs," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 253-280, December.
    23. Meier, Armando N. & Odermatt, Reto & Stutzer, Alois, 2021. "Tobacco sales prohibition and teen smoking," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 998-1014.
    24. W. Viscusi & William Evans, 2006. "Behavioral Probabilities," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 5-15, January.
    25. Gerking, S.D. & Khaddaria, R., 2012. "Perceptions of health risk and smoking decisions of young people," Other publications TiSEM 2e129465-1e69-4454-83d7-7, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.

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