Risk Perception and Acceptability
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Social, psychological and political factors have
considerable influence on the impact of risk judgments. These factors
are unique to various societies and cultures and understanding
these factors and how they impact risk perception and acceptability
improves the ability to implement risk management strategies in
public policy.
The McLaughlin Centre is an active participant in the Public
Perception and Acceptable Levels of Health Risk among Canadians research
program. This program investigates these social,
psychological and political factors shaping public perceptions of risk
and risk acceptability, specifically the factors influencing
attitudes and opinions about risk. |
Public and expert perceptions
of risks to health will be evaluated through representative national
surveys. A predictive model of risk perception and risk acceptability
will also be developed. The results of the research conducted
in this program will be used to explore new options in national policies
for health risk management. The objectives are: (I) to document the
conceptualization of risk and of risk acceptability from both the
public and regulatory perspectives; (II) to describe profiles of
risk perception and risk acceptability according to types of
risk (known, voluntary, involuntary, theoretical), expert status
(toxicologist, physician, public), and sociodemographics (gender,
age, ethnolinguistic identity, and region); to track the evolution
of such profiles over the last decade; to reveal the role of risk
characteristics (e.g., familiarity, controllability, severity) with
respect to perception and acceptability; and (III) to model the role
of risk perception and acceptability in decisions about risks, such
as judgments and evaluations of risk that have implications for risk
management and policy-making. |
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