Risk exam - Risk readings

universal stupidity

modern society creates risks that make everyone somewhat ignorant

Beck doesn’t agree with “post” modernity, but

second modernity; individualization, cosmopolitization and risk society

3 main global risks according to Beck are

environmental, economic, and terrorist

modernity is ________; difference between 1st and 2nd

reflexive; first is more predictable and controllable, second comes with more complexity and uncertainty

revealed preference

use data from recent years for tradeoffs

expressed preferences

use questionnaires to measure public’s attitude toward risks

what can society tolerate in terms of acceptable risk?

low benefit, high risk activities ex. drinking, smoking

good benefit, low risk activities ex. antibiotics, vaccines

risk used to be about calculation, now

more about judgement/blame

connection between risk (science) and religion

risk and sin, both link behavior, danger and social judgment

difference: sin protects community, risk protects individual

3 major actors of risk communication

individuals, social groups, government

classic risk communication model

Source (generates) - Transmitters (reshape) - Receivers (receive)

6 ways messages get amplified/reduced

volume effect, filtering effect, adding/deleting info, mixing effect, context, stereo effect

how people interpret risk messages

(everyone reacts differently); decode, compare info, form beliefs, take action

types of communication

face-to-face, personal indirect, group, targeted, mass

secondary effects are ________ and lead to: __________

responses by society; tertiary effects (societal change)

Rickard’s 2 functions of risk communication

pragmatic and constitutive

pragmatic (risk communication)

communicate info to influence people’s understanding of risk in order to reduce harm, improve safety and encourage protective actions

ex. hurricane warning, encourage vaccine

constitutive (risk communication)

shape how people define, understand and assign meaning to risk [risk perception]

ex. dangerous or beneficial? who is trusted?

affect heuristic

if something feels bad, people judge it as riskier

psychophysical numbing

people respond more emotionally to one victim than thousands of victims; stories and emotions are more persuasive than statistics

boomerang effect

people become less supportive of desired action

motivated reasoning

interpret info in ways that protects existing beliefs and identity

constitutive function

how communication shapes meaning of risk