The Psychology of Risk

Since the first edition of The Psychology of Risk there have been enormous macro-economic and socio-political changes globally - the chaos in the world banking system and the financial crisis and recessions that it presaged; the Arab Spring and the revolutionary shifts in power in the Middle East with rippled consequences around the world; the development of ever-more sophisticated cyber-terrorism that can strike the private individual or the nation state with equal ease. Amidst these changes in the face of hazard, do the psychological models built to explain human reactions to risk still apply? Has the research over the last few years resulted in an improvement in our understanding of how people perceive and act in relation to risk? In this second edition Professor Dame Breakwell uses illustrations and current examples to address these questions and provide a totally up-to-the minute review of what is known about the psychology of risk.</jats:p

Public uncertainties in relation to COVID-19 vaccines in the United Kingdom

Uncertainties about COVID-19 vaccines and variants have been linked to vaccination refusal on a significant scale. To optimise public health communication on vaccination and inform vaccination policy, it is necessary to understand the substantive nature of these uncertainties. Our study, using a corpus of texts from 324 UK citizens, examines these uncer- tainties. The results suggest that major public uncertainties regarding COVID-19 vaccines are expressed in terms of: (1) concerns about the safety of the vaccines; (2) concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccines; (3) perceived lack of trustworthiness and/or competence of actors in the vaccination process; (4) concerns about the logistics of the vaccination roll-out; and (5) uncertainty about the longer-term need for vaccines and social consequences. Public uncertainties regarding COVID-19 are complex and will continue to evolve. Policy responses must be informed by an understanding of the factors that instigate and maintain uncertainties in individuals and the wider society