The Roles of Affect and Cultural Heuristics in Benefit and Risk Perception for Collaborative Resolution of NIMBY Conflict: Crematory Facility Siting in Korea

The purpose of this study is to investigate how emotional and cultural factors influence benefit and risk perception, the main determinants of the collaborative resolution of a NIMBY conflict. According to the affect heuristic model, the benefit and risk perceptions influence and are influenced by affect towards a NIMBY facility and the government. On the other hand, the cultural heuristic model has found that the benefit and risk perceptions depend on worldviews. A Korean case involving the siting of a crematory facility in Hanam city offers a unique opportunity to test the relations between benefit and risk perception, affect heuristic and cultural heuristic. The results of the analysis of a survey administered to Hanam residents are as follows. First, risk perception was influenced by hierarchism, individualism, dread, distrust in the mayor, and voting against the mayor. Second, benefit perception was influenced by hierarchism, fatalism, dread, negative image, distrust in experts, and party affiliation. Third, risk perception increased dread, and perception of benefit decreased anger. This study shows that government should decrease risk perception by reducing the negative image of both the facility and policy makers and by relying on a market-oriented siting mechanism. Benefit perception should be raised by increased trust in government, rather than by compensation.