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Cultural theory and the psychometric paradigm are two frameworks proposed to explain risk perceptions, mostly used independently of each other. On the one hand, psychometric research identified key characteristics of hazards responsible for their level of perceived riskiness. On the other hand, cultural studies provided evidence that different worldviews lead to divergent perceptions of risk in a way supportive of individuals' cultural values. The purpose of this research was to combine both approaches into mediational models in which cultural values impact risk perceptions of controversial hazards through their influence on the characteristics associated with those hazards. Using data from an online survey completed by 629 French participants, findings indicated specific associations between cultural values and risk characteristics, both of them exhibiting effects on risk perceptions that depend largely on hazardous issues. More specifically, we found that people confer specific characteristics on hazards (common or dreadful, beneficial or costly, affecting few or many people), depending on whether they are hierarchists-individualists, egalitarians, or fatalists; in turn, such characteristics have an impact on the perceived riskiness of hazards such as cannabis, social movement, global warming, genetically modified organisms, nuclear power, public transportation, and coronavirus. Finally, this article discussed the interest of addressing the mechanisms that explain how cultural values shape individuals' perceptions of risk.

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We assess whether the classic psychometric paradigm of risk perception can be improved or supplanted by novel approaches relying on language embeddings. To this end, we introduce the Basel Risk Norms, a large data set covering 1004 distinct sources of risk (e.g., vaccination, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence) and compare the psychometric paradigm against novel text and free-association embeddings in predicting risk perception. We find that an ensemble model combining text and free association rivals the predictive accuracy of the psychometric paradigm, captures additional affect and frequency-related dimensions of risk perception not accounted for by the classic approach, and has greater range of applicability to real-world text data, such as news headlines. Overall, our results establish the ensemble of text and free-association embeddings as a promising new tool for researchers and policymakers to track real-world risk perception. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1140/epjds/s13688-024-00478-x.

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Based on survey data collected from a nationally representative sample (N = 1,000), this study applies the psychometric paradigm to demonstrate that the American public perceived the monkeypox outbreak as a more dreaded risk than the monkeypox vaccine, but they also viewed the monkeypox vaccine as a more unknown risk. These perceptions influenced their overall risk judgment toward the monkeypox outbreak, support for public health responses and government assistance measures, and likelihood to get vaccinated. Contributing to research on risk perception, these findings indicate that the dread and unknown dimensions offer a more intricate assessment of risk perception beyond perceived susceptibility and perceived severity. Guiding risk communication practice, these results suggest that it is important to highlight to the public that the monkeypox vaccine is a mature technology and getting vaccinated before exposure provides the best protection for high-risk populations.

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BACKGROUND: The weak preventive culture among workers in the construction sector leads to the underestimation of risks posed by the presence or handling of chemical agents on-site and, consequently, harms workers' health. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this paper are to classify exposure to chemical agents present or used on-site, determine workers' perception of said agents and establish the influence that socio-demographic variables have on chemical agent exposure and the perception of such exposure. METHODS: A total of 490 workers in the Spanish construction sector participated in this study. The data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire that explored socio-demographic characteristics, the degree of exposure to chemical agents, attitudes toward exposure and the prevention of consequences. The underlying dimensions of perception were researched using an adapted version of the questionnaire used by the Paul Slovic group to apply the psychometric paradigm. RESULTS: The levels of exposure to and handling of chemical agents found in the sample were high and moderate, respectively. The participants were found to have advanced knowledge about the effects of exposure, with the majority of the workers considering the probability of suffering a serious disease to be low. Statistically significant associations were found between the socio-demographic variables identified in the sample and the various exposure characteristics. A factor analysis performed on the underlying dimensions of perception provided a final version of the instrument comprising two factors. CONCLUSION: Measures are needed to improve the preventive culture among workers in the construction sector and reinforce on-site preventive measures aimed at preventing or minimising the consequences of exposure to chemical agents.

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Zoonoses represent a global public health threat. Understanding lay perceptions of risk associated with these diseases can better inform proportionate policy interventions that mitigate their current and future impacts. While individual zoonoses (e.g. bovine spongiform encephalopathy) have received scientific and public attention, we know little about how multiple zoonotic diseases vary relative to each other in lay risk perceptions. To this end, we examined public perceptions of 11 zoonoses across 12 qualitative attributes of risk among the UK public (n = 727, volunteer sample), using an online survey. We found that attribute ratings were predominantly explained via two basic dimensions of risk related to public knowledge and dread. We also show that, despite participants reporting low familiarity with most of the diseases presented, zoonoses were perceived as essentially avoidable. These findings imply that infection is viewed as dependent upon actions under personal control which has significant implications for policy development.

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BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains to be one of the most common causes of morbidity worldwide, but the discourse of its prevention has disproportionately singled out the occupational risks that affect healthcare workers. In this research, we aimed to: (1) investigate the underlying factor structure of Risk Characteristics (RC), specifically the risk of nosocomial TB transmission in health care facilities; (2) estimate the effects of work-related determinants and RC on risk perception; and (3) compare occupational risk perception of contracting TB with expert risk assessment. METHOD: A paper-based questionnaire was administered to 179 health care workers (HCWs) working at 10 public health centres and two hospitals in Surabaya, Indonesia. We analysed our data using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to unravel the latent structure of RC and structural equation modelling (SEM) to identify determinants of risk perceptions. RESULTS: EFA revealed a two-factor solution for nine qualitative RC: controllability of damage and knowledge-evoked dread. Our SEM analysis found evidence that the controllability aspect of the TB risk was a more profound determinant in predicting risk perception than knowledge-evoked dread, implying that HCWs might benefit from training aims to increase their beliefs on the controllability of TB risk despite its severity. CONCLUSION: Although further research is necessary, our study highlights the importance of addressing occupational risk perceptions in health facilities, encouraging HCWs to become more active in advocating for the necessary allocation of resources for their workplaces, and raising communities' awareness of TB transmissions.

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This study aims to assess workers' perception of occupational and environmental risks and hazards using the psychometric paradigm. For this purpose, data were collected using survey questionnaires from 360 mineworkers recruited from mineral and sand mines. Respondents were asked to evaluate eight occupational and environmental risks and hazards on nine commonly used risk characteristics. The principal component analysis revealed that two components, "Dreaded" and "Unknown", explained 73% percent of the total variance in workers' risk perception. The results also showed that the risk of developing an occupational disease was perceived as the most dreaded and unknown type of risk, while landslide, occupational noise, and vibration exposure were the least familiar to the respondents. A practical implication of this research is that the results may offer an insight into the employees' perceptions of the hazards and risks associated with their working environment. This could help risk management develop and implement effective risk management and communications strategies.

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Timber harvesting processes, especially motor-manual felling, are hazardous to forestry workers' health and safety. The purpose of this study is to examine forestry workers' mental safety models (at the supervisor and operator levels) using the Nordic safety climate questionnaire. This study also examines how operators and their families perceive workplace risks (dread and unknown risk factors). The safety climate analysis revealed that supervisors misunderstand management safety priority, competence, empowerment and justice. Additionally, this study found that operators do not yet prioritize safety. There was a lack of safety communication and operators' skepticism about the current safety system. These findings highlight the critical importance of implementing safety measures into operators' work environments. The risk perception analysis revealed that family members had a greater risk aversion to dread risk factors than operators. As a result, we see a possibility for family members to act as safety-net figures, bolstering the operators' safety values.

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BACKGROUND: The characteristics of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus increased the need to implement prevention measures, in order to avoid its spread; therefore, there is an interest in the risk perception and an intention in people to adopt protective measures against COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: To show the causal factors that contribute to a high/low perception of risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A quantitative, analytical and explanatory exploratory study was carried out with a crosssectional design. To collect data, a self-access survey was designed, using the Dimensional Assessment of Perceived Risk procedure, based on the psychometric paradigm. For data analysis, the classification tree method was utilized. RESULTS: The descriptive analysis indicated that the surveyed population had a concern about the pandemic of 3.8 on a scale ranging from 1 to 5, which shows a medium-high perception of COVID-19 risk; however, respondents underestimated their personal risk (vulnerability) in relation to that of others. The classification tree analysis showed that the independent variables that contribute directly to the global perception of risk are the severity of the pandemic, vulnerability and catastrophic power. CONCLUSIONS: It was found a positive effect: The greater perception of severity, and susceptibility to acquiring the virus, the more taking of preventive measures.

INTRODUCCIÓN: las características de transmisión del virus SARS-CoV-2 incrementaron la necesidad de implementar medidas de prevención a fin de evitar su propagación; por lo tanto, hay un interés en la percepción de riesgo y una intención de la población para adoptar las medidas de protección frente a la COVID-19. OBJETIVO: evidenciar los factores causales que contribuyen a una percepción alta/baja del riesgo de la pandemia de COVID-19. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: se hizo una investigación exploratoria cuantitativa, analítica y explicativa con diseño transversal. Se diseñó una encuesta de autoacceso con el procedimiento de Evaluación Dimensional del Riesgo Percibido, basado en el paradigma psicométrico. Para el análisis de los datos se utilizó la técnica árboles de clasificación. RESULTADOS: el análisis descriptivo indicó que los encuestados tienen una preocupación por la pandemia de 3.8 en una escala de 1 a 5, que evidencia una percepción media-alta del riesgo de la pandemia de COVID-19; sin embargo, subestiman su riesgo personal (vulnerabilidad) en relación con el de los demás. Del análisis con árboles de clasificación, seobtuvo que las variables independientes que contribuyen directamente a la percepción global de riesgo son la gravedad de la pandemia, la vulnerabilidad y el poder catastrófico. CONCLUSIONES: se encontró un efecto positivo: cuanto mayor es la percepción de severidad del virus y la susceptibilidad de contraerlo, hay una mayor toma de medidas preventivas.

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Introducción: las características de transmisión del virus SARS-CoV-2 incrementaron la necesidad de implementar medidas de prevención a fin de evitar su propagación; por lo tanto, hay un interés en la percepción de riesgo y una intención de la población para adoptar las medidas de protección frente a la COVID-19. Objetivo: evidenciar los factores causales que contribuyen a una percepción alta/baja del riesgo de la pandemia de COVID-19. Material y métodos: se hizo una investigación exploratoria cuantitativa, analítica y explicativa con diseño transversal. Se diseñó una encuesta de autoacceso con el procedimiento de Evaluación Dimensional del Riesgo Percibido, basado en el paradigma psicométrico. Para el análisis de los datos se utilizó la técnica árboles de clasificación. Resultados: el análisis descriptivo indicó que los encuestados tienen una preocupación por la pandemia de 3.8 en una escala de 1 a 5, que evidencia una percepción media-alta del riesgo de la pandemia de COVID-19; sin embargo, subestiman su riesgo personal (vulnerabilidad) en relación con el de los demás. Del análisis con árboles de clasificación, se obtuvo que las variables independientes que contribuyen directamente a la percepción global de riesgo son la gravedad de la pandemia, la vulnerabilidad y el poder catastrófico. Conclusiones: se encontró un efecto positivo: cuanto mayor es la percepción de severidad del virus y la susceptibilidad de contraerlo, hay una mayor toma de medidas preventivas.

Background: The characteristics of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus increased the need to implement prevention measures, in order to avoid its spread; therefore, there is an interest in the risk perception and an intention in people to adopt protective measures against COVID-19. Objective: To show the causal factors that contribute to a high/low perception of risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: A quantitative, analytical and explanatory exploratory study was carried out with a cross-sectional design. To collect data, a self-access survey was designed, using the Dimensional Assessment of Perceived Risk procedure, based on the psychometric paradigm. For data analysis, the classification tree method was utilized. Results: The descriptive analysis indicated that the surveyed population had a concern about the pandemic of 3.8 on a scale ranging from 1 to 5, which shows a medium-high perception of COVID-19 risk; however, respondents underestimated their personal risk (vulnerability) in relation to that of others. The classification tree analysis showed that the independent variables that contribute directly to the global perception of risk are the severity of the pandemic, vulnerability and catastrophic power. Conclusions: It was found a positive effect: The greater perception of severity, and susceptibility to acquiring the virus, the more taking of preventive measures.

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This paper characterizes the risk acceptance of the Chinese public based on a psychometric paradigm and documents its change by conducting a nationally representative longitudinal survey spanning 10 years. We explore key factors that influence the acceptance of seven typical risks: drinking water pollution, interior decoration, electromagnetic radiation, air pollution, chemical plants, public transportation, and natural hazards, reflecting the general and referential changes in risk perception. The results show a general decrease in the acceptance of all of these risks in the examined decade, especially in economically developed areas. Different types of risk perception varied, but environmental risks had similar trends of perception. The perceived benefits from these risks and local GDP had the greatest impact on risk acceptance. The interaction between the changing perspectives of the emerging middle class and the evolving hazard risk landscape may be the reasons for the reduction in risk acceptance. The main findings offer insights for effective risk education and communication as well as sustainable risk management strategy.

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This study aims to contribute to the risk management of pharmaceuticals in the environment, illustrating risk perceptions of lay people and experts from Southwestern Europe (Portugal, Spain, and France). The psychometric paradigm was applied to assess risk regarding four hazards: pharmaceuticals in the environment (i.e., broadly framed), pharmaceuticals in treated wastewater, pharmaceuticals in drinking water, and pharmaceuticals in crops. Two factors explained most of the variance of risk assessments: dread and unknown. The dread factor combined immediacy and severity of effects, and the old nature of hazards. Pharmaceuticals in crops and drinking water scored higher in this factor, as did experts and French respondents. The unknown factor differentiated between the assessments of lay people and experts. Lay people assessed the hazards as being more known by those who were exposed but less known by science; and exposure was perceived as more voluntary and the risk as more controllable. Even though pharmaceutical residues are present in much higher concentrations in treated wastewater, risk assessments were overall higher for drinking water and crops. Moreover, data also revealed risk management preferences: whereas lay people preferred technological and awareness-type measures, experts preferred measures to improve the disposal of pharmaceutical waste and health-type measures.

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Severe air pollution problems have led to a rise in the Chinese public's concern. Risk perception is one of the most important indicators of the public's concern about air pollution. However, there existed few studies exploring the spatial distribution of risk perception. To fill the gap, psychometric paradigm methods was adopted to assess the public's risk perception of air pollution. A nationwide empirical study was conducted from December 2016 to February 2017 and 10,653 completed questionnaires were collected. According to a series of screening strategies, 9744 qualified questionnaires were included as a sample, which covered 31 China provinces (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan were not included in this study). We found that 45% of the respondents were dissatisfied with the current air quality, many respondents concerned a lot about air pollution (76%) and worried about the harmful consequences of being exposed to air pollution (86%). There was significant difference in the public's risk perception and attitude toward air pollution among different regions: the respondents in the northeast region, northern coastal region, eastern coastal region and Middle Yellow river region perceived higher air pollution risk and lower satisfaction with air quality than other regions; and the public's trust in the government increased from coastal regions to inland regions. In addition, the hierarchical linear model (HLM) was used to explore the effects of demographic, environmental and economic factors on public risk perception and attitude toward air pollution. Based on this, the characteristics of sensitive populations regarding air pollution were identified. What's more, we found that PM2.5 has a positive influence on perceived risk factor (PR) and can strengthen the positive correlation between PR and satisfaction with air quality (SAQ). Finally, policy implications behind these results were discussed, which can provide references and lay the foundation for policymakers and subsequent researchers.

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The intensity, frequency, and duration of heat waves are expected to increase with climate change. In this study, we found a significant difference of public perceived effects of heat waves and trust in government among urban, suburban, and rural districts. Rural residents had a significant higher effect perception than urbanites and also showed stronger willingness to have medical insurance or regular physical examinations. Meanwhile, suburban residents had the lowest trust perception in government among these three districts, which may be due to suburban districts' unique social structure and complex social issues. Besides, we assessed the relationship between the factor effect and demographic variables. The results showed that urban respondents' effect perception was significantly related to heat wave experiences. Suburban respondents' effect perception was significantly related to age, income, and heat wave experiences. And rural respondents' effect perception was significantly related to income and chronic diseases. Based on our results, much more attention needs to be paid to rural districts. The government should strengthen infrastructure construction such as cooling centers, improve emergency response plans and mechanisms, and increase reserves of emergency supplies in rural districts. Also, targeted risk communication is of the equal importance to aid the policy-makers improving the relationship with the public and regaining the public's trust and support.

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Abrupt environmental pollution accidents cause considerable damage worldwide to the ecological environment, human health, and property. The concept of acceptable risk aims to answer whether or not a given environmental pollution risk exceeds a societally determined criterion. This paper presents a case study on acceptable environmental pollution risk conducted through a questionnaire survey carried out between August and October 2014 in five representative districts and two counties of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, China. Here, environmental risk primarily arises from accidental water pollution, accidental air pollution, and tailings dam failure. Based on 870 valid questionnaires, demographic and regional differences in public attitudes towards abrupt environmental pollution risks were analyzed, and risk acceptance impact factors determined. The results showed females, people between 21-40 years of age, people with higher levels of education, public servants, and people with higher income had lower risk tolerance. People with lower perceived risk, low-level risk knowledge, high-level familiarity and satisfaction with environmental management, and without experience of environmental accidents had higher risk tolerance. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that public satisfaction with environmental management was the most significant factor in risk acceptance, followed by perceived risk of abrupt air pollution, occupation, perceived risk of tailings dam failure, and sex. These findings should be helpful to local decision-makers concerned with environmental risk management (e.g., selecting target groups for effective risk communication) in the context of abrupt environmental accidents.

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BACKGROUND: Side effects prompt some patients to forego otherwise-beneficial therapies. This study explored which characteristics make side effects particularly aversive. METHODS: We used a psychometric approach, originating from research on risk perception, to identify the factors (or components) underlying side effect perceptions. Women ( N = 149) aged 40 to 74 years were recruited from a patient registry to complete an online experiment. Participants were presented with hypothetical scenarios in which an effective and necessary medication conferred a small risk of a single side effect (e.g., nausea, dizziness). They rated a broad range of side effects on several characteristics (e.g., embarrassing, treatable). In addition, we collected 4 measures of aversiveness for each side effect: choosing to take the medication, willingness to pay to avoid the side effect (WTP), negative affective attitude associated with the side effect, and how each side effect ranks among others in terms of undesirability. A principal components analysis (PCA) was used to identify the components underlying side effect perceptions. Then, for each aversiveness measure separately, regression analyses were used to determine which components predicted differences in aversiveness among the side effects. RESULTS: The PCA revealed 4 components underlying side effect perceptions: affective challenge (e.g., frightening), social challenge (e.g., disfiguring), physical challenge (e.g., painful), and familiarity (e.g., common). Side effects perceived as affectively and physically challenging elicited the highest levels of aversiveness across all 4 measures. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding what side effect characteristics are most aversive may inform interventions to improve medical decisions and facilitate the translation of novel biomedical therapies into clinical practice.

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This article presents a cross-cultural study on perceived risk in the construction industry. Worker samples from three different countries were studied: Spain, Peru and Nicaragua. The main goal was to explain how construction workers perceive their occupational hazard and to analyze how this is related to their national culture. The model used to measure perceived risk was the psychometric paradigm. The results show three very similar profiles, indicating that risk perception is independent of nationality. A cultural analysis was conducted using the Hofstede model. The results of this analysis and the relation to perceived risk showed that risk perception in construction is independent of national culture. Finally, a multiple lineal regression analysis was conducted to determine what qualitative attributes could predict the global quantitative size of risk perception. All of the findings have important implications regarding the management of safety in the workplace.

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Within Europe, flood and coastal risk management is undergoing a major paradigm shift as it moves from an approach dominated by investment in flood defence and control infrastructure to another one in which non-structural measures are favoured. One research challenge consists in developing a better understanding of local population risk perception and its effects on prevention and preparedness actions in order to improve social acceptability of adaptive flood risk management. Landowners' involvement in wetland management offer benefits beyond the line of their property. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to achieve an empirical understanding of risk perception and self-protective behaviour among the landowners of the riparian marshes in the Gironde Estuary, in France. Application of the psychometric approach reveals that flood risk perception among landowners can be characterised by three synthetic variables that indicate on the degree of exposure, the sense of control and knowledge of the risk. Examining the relationships between these perceived risk dimensions and landowners' participation in water structures management provides three profiles of self-protective behaviour distinguishing "vulnerable", "autonomous", and "passive" individuals. Finally, implications of our findings for the management of flood risk in estuarine environment which is often drained areas are discussed.

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La omnipresencia de estaciones base de telefonía móvil (EBTM) en los territorios urbanos ha dado lugar a que la población esté siendo expuesta a las radiaciones no ionizantes (RNI) emitidas por este tipo de fuentes radioeléctricas, dado que estas han sido ubicadas cerca de los sitios donde habitan y/o concurren las personas que se han considerado más susceptibles a las radiaciones electromagnéticas. Este escenario se ha caracterizado por las constantes preocupaciones de los ciudadanos y expertos en torno a los posibles efectos nocivos que se pueden presentar por la exposición a las RNI; no obstante, existe también un ambiente de desconocimiento e incertidumbre frente al tema, lo que ha generado que sea más complejo evaluar este potencial riesgo de origen antrópico tecnológico. Por lo tanto, se consideró importante analizar la respuesta social frente al riesgo generado por las radiaciones electromagnéticas emitidas por EBTM, con el fin de realizar un diagnóstico integral de esta situación. Para ello, se adaptó el método del paradigma psicométrico, y se realizó un análisis descriptivo y multivariado, los cuales permitieron conocer la percepción social frente al riesgo en la zona que se consideró más crítica, según los resultados que surgieron del diagnóstico de las áreas urbanas expuestas a las RNI emitidas por las EBTM, localizadas en el municipio de Cartago (Valle del Cauca). Los resultados de los análisis muestran que la percepción de cada individuo se basa en juicios intuitivos y factores socioculturales, que se traducen en actitudes y decisiones que se toman frente al riesgo evaluado, que al parecer, en el imaginario social no ha sido concebido en su totalidad como un potencial factor de riesgo. Es por esto que se puede concluir que los juicios sobre el riesgo evaluado difieren no solo individualmente sino también colectivamente.

The omnipresence of mobile phone base stations (MPBS) in urban areas has resulted in the population being exposed to non-ionizing radiation (NIR) emitted by this type of radio sources, inasmuch as they have been located near places inhabited or frequently visited by people who are considered more susceptible to electromagnetic radiations. This scenario has been characterized by the constant concerns of citizens and experts about the possible adverse health effects that may occur from exposure to NIR. However, there is also an atmosphere of ignorance and uncertainty regarding the topic which makes it more difficult to evaluate this technological anthropogenic potential risk.. Therefore, it was considered important to analyze the social response in front of the risk generated by the electromagnetic radiation emitted by MPBS, in order to make an integral diagnosis of this situation. To do this, the psychometric paradigm method was adapted and a descriptive and multivariate analysis was carried out, which allowed knowing the social perception of the risk in the area that was considered more critical according to the results that emerged from the diagnosis of urban areas exposed to NIR emitted by MPBS located in the municipality of Cartago (Valle del Cauca). The results of the analyses show that the perception of each individual is based on intuitive judgments and sociocultural factors which result in attitudes and decisions made against the assessed risk which, apparently, in the social imaginary has not been conceived in its entirety as a potential risk factor. That is why, it can be concluded that judgments about the assessed risk differ not only individually but also collectively.

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