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Culture and Identity‐Protective Cognition: Explaining the White‐Male Effect in Risk Perception

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  • Dan M. Kahan
  • Donald Braman
  • John Gastil
  • Paul Slovic
  • C. K. Mertz

Abstract

Why do white men fear various risks less than women and minorities? Known as the “white‐male effect,” this pattern is well documented but poorly understood. This article proposes a new explanation: identity‐protective cognition. Putting work on the cultural theory of risk together with work on motivated cognition in social psychology suggests that individuals selectively credit and dismiss asserted dangers in a manner supportive of their cultural identities. This dynamic, it is hypothesized, drives the white‐male effect, which reflects the risk skepticism that hierarchical and individualistic white males display when activities integral to their cultural identities are challenged as harmful. The article presents the results of an 1,800‐person study that confirmed that cultural worldviews interact with the impact of gender and race on risk perception in patterns that suggest cultural‐identity‐protective cognition. It also discusses the implications of these findings for risk regulation and communication.

Suggested Citation

  • Dan M. Kahan & Donald Braman & John Gastil & Paul Slovic & C. K. Mertz, 2007. "Culture and Identity‐Protective Cognition: Explaining the White‐Male Effect in Risk Perception," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 4(3), pages 465-505, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:empleg:v:4:y:2007:i:3:p:465-505
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-1461.2007.00097.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Claire Marris & Ian H. Langford & Timothy O'Riordan, 1998. "A Quantitative Test of the Cultural Theory of Risk Perceptions: Comparison with the Psychometric Paradigm," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(5), pages 635-647, October.
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    5. Terre A. Satterfield & C. K. Mertz & Paul Slovic, 2004. "Discrimination, Vulnerability, and Justice in the Face of Risk," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(1), pages 115-129, February.
    6. Thomas Dietz & Linda Kalof & Paul C. Stern, 2002. "Gender, Values, and Environmentalism," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 83(1), pages 353-364, March.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Salil Benegal & Mirya R. Holman, 2021. "Understanding the importance of sexism in shaping climate denial and policy opposition," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 167(3), pages 1-19, August.
    3. Sara K Guenther & Elizabeth A Shanahan, 2020. "Communicating risk in human-wildlife interactions: How stories and images move minds," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(12), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Robin Gregory & Robert Kozak & Guillaume Peterson St-Laurent & Sara Nawaz & Terre Satterfield & Shannon Hagerman, 2021. "Under pressure: conservation choices and the threat of species extinction," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 166(1), pages 1-21, May.
    5. Zhu, Dan & Hodgkinson, Lynn & Wang, Qingwei, 2021. "Interaction and decomposition of gender difference in financial risk perception," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(C).
    6. Branden B. Johnson & Brendon Swedlow, 2024. "Scale reliability of alternative cultural theory survey measures," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 527-557, February.
    7. Pablo Garcés-Velástegui, 2024. "The Politics of Development in Colombia: Accounting for the Plurality of Development Models," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 40(1), pages 73-93, March.
    8. Qi Guo & Palizhati Muhetaer & Ping Hu, 2023. "Cultural worldviews and support for governmental management of COVID-19," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, December.
    9. Paul R. Hindsley & O. Ashton Morgan, 2022. "The Role of Cultural Worldviews in Willingness to Pay for Environmental Policy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 81(2), pages 243-269, February.
    10. Dan M. Kahan & Hank Jenkins-Smith & Tor Tarantola & Carol L. Silva & Donald Braman, 2015. "Geoengineering and Climate Change Polarization," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 658(1), pages 192-222, March.
    11. Hillary C Shulman & Olivia M Bullock, 2020. "Don’t dumb it down: The effects of jargon in COVID-19 crisis communication," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(10), pages 1-10, October.
    12. O'Shaughnessy, Matthew & Schiff, Daniel & Varshney, Lav R. & Rozell, Christopher & Davenport, Mark, 2021. "What governs attitudes toward artificial intelligence adoption and governance?," OSF Preprints pkeb8, Center for Open Science.

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