Comparisons of risk perception in different countries and cultures
Bernd ROHRMANN (University of Melbourne)
= Project Summary =
In a series of socio-psychological field studies, perceptions and
subjective
evaluations of risky activities and environmental conditions are
investigated
in several countries. The aim of this cross-cultural project is to
analyze
the cognitive structure of judgments about the magnitude and
acceptability
of risks to which individuals are exposed; to explore disparities
between
different societal groups; and to compare risk judgments across
countries
in which risk issues in general as well as particular risk sources
(e.g.,
industrial facilities or natural hazards) have different salience.
Project CRC1: In a first series of studies, data were
collected in Germany (N=217), New Zealand (N=224) and Australia
(N=272).
In each country, 4 groups of respondents were defined: people with a
"technological",
"monetarian", "ecological" or "feminist" orientation, representing
societal
sub-cultures. Participants were asked for judgments on 24 hazards
(based
on a taxonomy) according to 12 risk aspects (derived from a structural
risk perception model).
Project CRC2: Aiming at a comparison of "western" and
"eastern" countries, a modified data collection was conducted in China
(N=270), and that study was fully repeated in Australia (N=203).
Regarding
hazards, 12 previously used items and 12 new items were included. The
sampling
focuses on 3 groups of students (i.e., Geography, Psychology,
Engineering)
and a group of scientists. In a second phase data were collected in
Germany
(N=235), Singapore (N=153), Canada (N=183) and Japan (N=197). This
completed
the project, to date the largest cross-national risk perception study.
Project CRC3: In order to include
South-American countries in risk perception research, a data collection
in Argentina, Brazil and Chile is underway; using a modified
version of the Rohrmann Hazard Evaluation Questionnaire HEQ. Currently
the first of these studies, in Recife/Brazil (N=160), gets analyzed.
Data comparisons for countries, for societal or professional groups
and for types of risks yield multifarious differences (click rpx-sampling
for
the list of samples and click
rpx-dat for
three result tables;
full
publication in preparation). The results so far demonstrate the
strong influence of socio-psychological factors and the cultural
quality of risk evaluations (click rpx-mod
for a model in which the principal structure of risk perception process
is conceptualized). The findings are valuable for a better
understanding of societal risk controversies and designing
comprehensive risk information, communication and education programs.
= Selected
publications =
BORCHERDING, K.,
ROHRMANN, B., & EPPEL, T. (1986):
A psychological study on the cognitive structure of risk evaluations;
p.
245-262 in: Brehmer, B., Jungermann, H., Lourens, P., & Sevon, G.
(Eds.):
New directions in research on decision making; Amsterdam: North-Holland.
ROHRMANN, B. (1994):
Risk perception of different
societal groups: Australian findings and cross-national comparisons;
Australian
Journal of Psychology, 46, 150-164.
ROHRMANN, B. &
CHEN, H. (1999): Risk perception in
Australia and China - a cross cultural psychometric study; Journal of
Risk
Research, 2, 219-241.
ROHRMANN, B. (2000):
Cross-national studies on the
perception and evaluation of hazards; in: Renn, O. & Rohrmann, B.
(Eds.):
Cross-cultural risk perception research; Dordrecht: Kluwer.
ROHRMANN,
B. (2005). Perception of risk: Research, results,
relevance. In Gough, J. (Ed.), Sharing the future. Christchurch: CAE
publications, University of Canterbury.
= Contact
address =
Professor Bernd ROHRMANN, via
Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010,
AUSTRALIA
Phone: +61 3 93479966 E-Mail:
mail@rohrmannresearch.net
WebSite: http://www.rohrmannresearch.net
.