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Priorities in Information Desire about Unknown Risks

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  • René Lion
  • Ree M. Meertens
  • Ilja Bot

Abstract

Research on risk perception aims to explain how people perceive risks in order to better communicate about them. Most of this research has tended to view people as passive risk perceivers. However, if confronted with an unknown risk, people can also actively seek information. The main purpose of this study was to investigate what kind of risk information people desire when confronted with an unknown risk and how this desire for information relates to the main dimensions underlying risk perception. Nine focus‐group interviews were conducted. The main results of the focus groups were backed up by a paper‐and‐pencil questionnaire that was distributed among a random sample of 500 households in the Netherlands. Overall, people desire information with which they can determine the personal relevance of the risk confronting them. This pattern is similar to appraisal steps described by health behavior models. The focus‐group results provide a dynamic picture of the way risk aspects might interact to create a final risk judgment.

Suggested Citation

  • René Lion & Ree M. Meertens & Ilja Bot, 2002. "Priorities in Information Desire about Unknown Risks," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(4), pages 765-776, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:riskan:v:22:y:2002:i:4:p:765-776
    DOI: 10.1111/0272-4332.00067
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    1. Hannah Brenkert‐Smith & Katherine L. Dickinson & Patricia A. Champ & Nicholas Flores, 2013. "Social Amplification of Wildfire Risk: The Role of Social Interactions and Information Sources," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(5), pages 800-817, May.
    2. Kott, Anne & Limaye, Rupali J., 2016. "Delivering risk information in a dynamic information environment: Framing and authoritative voice in Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and primetime broadcast news media communications during the 2014," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 42-49.
    3. Julija Michailova & Tadeusz Tyszka & Katarzyna Pfeifer, 2017. "Are People Interested in Probabilities of Natural Disasters?," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(5), pages 1005-1017, May.
    4. Isaac M. Lipkus, 2007. "Numeric, Verbal, and Visual Formats of Conveying Health Risks: Suggested Best Practices and Future Recommendations," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 27(5), pages 696-713, September.
    5. Katherine L. Dickinson & Hannah Brenkert-Smith & Greg Madonia & Nicholas E. Flores, 2020. "Risk interdependency, social norms, and wildfire mitigation: a choice experiment," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 103(1), pages 1327-1354, August.
    6. Jingguo Wang & Nan Xiao & H. Raghav Rao, 2015. "Research Note—An Exploration of Risk Characteristics of Information Security Threats and Related Public Information Search Behavior," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 619-633, September.
    7. René Lion & Ree M. Meertens, 2005. "Security or opportunity: the influence of risk-taking tendency on risk information preference," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(4), pages 283-294, June.
    8. Vivianne H. M. Visschers & Ree M. Meertens & Wim F. Passchier & Nanne K. DeVries, 2007. "How Does the General Public Evaluate Risk Information? The Impact of Associations with Other Risks," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 715-727, June.
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    10. Ree M. Meertens & René Lion, 2011. "The effects of risk-taking tendency on risk choice and pre- and post-decisional information selection," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(6), pages 647-656, June.
    11. Zahra Asgarizadeh & Robert Gifford, 2022. "Community and psychological barriers to tsunami preparation," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 112(2), pages 1321-1336, June.
    12. Cornelia Betsch & Corina Ulshöfer & Frank Renkewitz & Tilmann Betsch, 2011. "The Influence of Narrative v. Statistical Information on Perceiving Vaccination Risks," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 31(5), pages 742-753, September.
    13. Tianzhuo Liu & Huifang Jiao, 2018. "How does information affect fire risk reduction behaviors? Mediating effects of cognitive processes and subjective knowledge," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 90(3), pages 1461-1483, February.
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