Introduction to the Special Series on Risk, Perception, and Response

Abstract

Individual and public reactions to scientific evidence of health and safety risks are mediated by many factors. At times, these reactions appear perverse: individuals discount or ignore the evidence and make decisions that appear contrary to their own best interests. Improving understanding of what factors influence reactions to new information, and of how adverse effects on decision making can be mitigated, has important implications for the choices made by individuals, managers, and policymakers. In this special series, we build on the results of a 2014 Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (HCRA) conference that explored these concerns. The eight articles that follow consider the effects of risk perception on choices made in a variety of contexts and suggest several ways in which potential harms may be averted.

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Reference

James K. Hammitt, and Lisa A. Robinson, “Introduction to the Special Series on Risk, Perception, and Response”, Risk Analysis, vol. 35, n. 10, 2015, pp. 1766–1769.