Product Description

The concept of risk is an outgrowth of our society's great concern about coping with the dangers of modern life. This book brings together the work of Paul Slovic, one of the world's leading analysts of risk, risk perception and risk management, to examine the gap between expert views of risk and public perceptions. Ordered chronologically, it allows the reader to see the evolution of our understanding of such perceptions, from early studies identifying public misconceptions of risk to recent work that recognizes the importance and legitimacy of equity, trust, power and other value-laden issues underlying public concern. New methods for assessing perceptions of risk are described, and the implications for regulation and public policy are discussed. In a new departure, the perceptions ofadolescents are also examined. The issues covered include: societal risk-taking; decision-making in mental health law; rating risks; facts versus fears; informing and educating the public about risk; intuitive toxicology; perceived risks and the politics of nuclear waste; perceived risk, trust and democracy; and technological stigma. The book is a guide for everyone with an interest in the public perception of risk, including lawyers, policy makers, the business community and academics from the fields of public health and environment, psychology, economics, sociology, anthropology and political science.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #302899 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 518 pages

From the Publisher
‘This comprehensive guide - perhaps the first of its kind - is for anyone with an interest in the public perception of risk, including policy maker, business, and academics in various fields including economics, public health and the environment.’
WARMER BULLETIN - Journal For Sustainable Waste Management

About the Author
Paul Slovic is President of Decision Research and Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon.