Integrating sociological and psychological approaches to public perceptions of environmental risks: detailed results from a questionnaire survey

Decision-makers often despair at what they regard as fickle and unpredictable public attitudes toward environmental risks. Research has shown, however, that public perceptions of risk are not irrational. Psychologists have developed the so-called 'psychometric paradigm', which indicates that laypeople approach the meaning of 'risk' using a more political framework than that used by experts. This includes factors such as whether or not they have control over their exposure to the risk, whether the effect will be immediate or delayed, and whether future generations will be affected. Sociologists have proposed a 'cultural theory of risk', which argues that alternative views about risk are inextricably inter-linked with the ways in which social order is perceived and experienced. Both these theories have been developed and promoted largely within disciplinary boundaries and in isolation from each other. This report argues that both perspectives play important roles in shaping, maintaining, and changing views about risks, and that these two components are inter-related in complex but predictable ways. Thus, the aim of this research was to advance our understanding of risk perceptions by integrating the 'psychometric paradigm' and 'cultural theory' approaches. This paper reports the detailed results from a questionnaire survey (N=201) conducted in Norfolk (UK). Four distinct worldviews were identified, namely: fatalist, or phlegmatic over influence on outcomes; individualistic, or a preference for competitive procedures; hierarchist, or a belief in order and rules to guide decisions; and egalitarian, or an emphasis on fairness through justice. Each of these worldviews was associated with a specific pattern of risk perceptions in a manner which was consistent with cultural theory. Cultural theory, however, was only able to explain 14%, at most, of the variance in risk perceptions, whereas the 'psychometric paradigm' explained as much as 50% in some cases. The authors argue that the two methodologies explained importantly different dimensions of risk perceptions, and that deeper insights into the underlying rationales are obtained by using the two approaches in a complementary manner. Thus, the combined methodology provided insights into underlying social issues of trust and accountability which play an important role in shaping risk perceptions. This research suggests that social and political frameworks which influence the way environmental threats are interpreted can be identified and that a consistent theory of reactions to risks can be established

Childhood leukaemia and infections

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The application of K-function analysis to the geographical distribution of road traffic accident outcomes in Norfolk, England

One method applicable to the examination of spatial point patterns of disease, the calculation of K-functions, is presented. The technique is used to determine the degree of clustering exhibited by the residuals from a spatially referenced legit model constructed to ascertain the factors influencing the likelihood of death in a road traffic accident. This was done to test if there was some systematic geographical factor influencing outcome not adequately controlled for in the model. K-functions are extremely versatile, overcoming many of the problems of incorporating the notion of scale associated with traditional methods of spatial autocorrelation. Recently software has become available which allows their calculation in an easy to use Geographical Information System style environment. This study illustrates the relevance of the method, not only to the analysis of data on mortality and morbidity, but also to the examination of the residuals from any spatial regression

Social preferences for improving water quality: An economic analysis of benefits from wastewater treatment

Greece has a large number of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) under construction or recently completed. However, whilst the European Union provides funds for the capital development of WWTPs, there is often a lack of funding to maintain full operation of these plants. This study examines the case of a WWTP in Thessaloniki, Greece, which is currently only partially operational. We use the contingent valuation method to examine the willingness to pay of individuals to ensure the full operation of the WWTP, leading to significant improvements in the water quality of Thermaikos Bay, which is adjacent to Thessaloniki. The average amount pledged of ∈15.23 due every four months as an incremental increase in water rates matches the funding required to fully operate the plant. By examining the motivations of those willing to pay, we find that a complex combination of consumer and citizen modes of cognition, linked to self identity and pride in the city as well as moral and ethical concerns, determine individuals' commitment to the water quality improvement scheme. These findings have serious policy implications for gauging public support for environmental improvements

Household willingness to pay and farmers' willingness to accept compensation for establishing a recreational Woodland

The UK Forestry Commission's recently implemented Community Woodland scheme sets out to provide new recreational woodland facilities near to towns and cities where such resources are in short supply. This study examines household willingness to pay (WTP) for such a proposed woodland by means of the contingent valuation (CV) method. A stratified sample of 325 households in Wantage, Oxfordshire, was interviewed and asked to state both their annual and per-visit WTP. Analysis of a number of recognized potential biases suggested that the results obtained must be treated with caution although we argue that the CV provides a useful ballpark indication of preferences. A simultaneous CV survey of farmers' willingness to accept compensation for converting agricultural land into woodland proved to be far more robust, despite a small sample size. We conclude that farmers are more familiar with the concept of assessing potential compensation than are households with estimating hypothetical payments for increased provision of public goods

Multilevel modelling and contingent valuation part I A triple bounded dichotomous choice analysis

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An existential approach to risk perception

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Multilevel modelling and contingent valuation part 2 Modelling individual and group effects in a dichotomous choice survey

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Risk perception, health and environmental change A multidimensional model

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Design effects in contingent valuation studies Mental account and temporal ordering effects

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