The influence of socio-economic status on risk prioritisation

This study examined the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on risk prioritisation. Participants ranked 28 hazards according to how risky they considered them to be for the South African society. The results showed SES had an influence on hazard prioritisation, e.g., alcohol was considered the most significant societal hazard by low SES individuals, but was ranked 10th by high SES individuals. High SES individuals on the other hand, were significantly more concerned than low SES individuals about personal security risks. A second aim of the study was to delineate the interaction between SES and gender, and whether this also influenced risk perception. The data revealed statistically significant interactions between gender and SES for a number of hazards including personal security hazards, government corruption, climate change, and alcohol. SES influenced risk perceptions even at the level of gender so that individuals of similar gender but different SES perceived risks from the same hazard disparately. This suggests that people’s socioeconomic status influenced how they perceived risks, irrespective of gender. Together, these findings suggest that SES is an important determinant of people’s risk perceptions, and that it can modify even the effects of gender. These findings also have practical implications because they imply that risk perceptions are not similar between socio-economic groupings. As such, assessments derived in high SES or developed contexts may not adequately describe low SES or developing contexts. Context-relevant data are, therefore, key to successful risk management and communication.