The Association Between Risk Perception and Behaviour. Results of Structural Equation Modelling. Torbjørn Rundmo and Hilde Hestad, Dept. of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7034 Trondheim, Norway, telephone +47-73591656, fax +47-73591920, e-mail torbjorn.rundmo@sv.ntnu.no

There are at least four hypotheses about the association between risk perception and behaviour. The first one is that perceived risk caused by risk exposure may awake a person’s «attention» towards the potentially-hazardous risk source, and hence cause safer behaviour. The second hypothesis is that the affective reactions may be seen as reactions to stress, i.e. a strain factor, which may reduce a person’s ability to cope with risk and therefore cause enhanced risk behaviour. The third hypothesis is that risk judgements and risk behaviour are both dependent variables which do not affect each other. Consequently, a positive correlation between perceived risk and behaviour may be caused by the fact that perception and behaviour both are affected by the same predictor variables. Risk perception contain a rational as well as an emotional «component». The forth hypothesis is that rational judgements of risk and emotional reactions to risk may be related differently to risk behaviour. In the present study the rational judgments and the affective reactions are split and different measures are aimed at determining both the components. The core aim of this paper is to determine whether or not they are differently related to risk behaviour. The results are based on a self-completion questionnaire survey which was carried out among employees (n=814) at 14 plants within the industrial company Norsk Hydro in 1997 and 1998. The plants belonged to several divisions within the company. The results showed that the rational and emotional component of risk perception were related differently to risk behaviour. The rational risk judgements had a moderate direct as well as an indirect effect on risk behaviour. The affective reactions to risk were caused by the probability judgements an did not affect risk behaviour.

Go to . . .

1998 SRA-Europe Table of Contents
1998 SRA-Europe Author Index
Main Abstracts Menu Page
RiskWorld Home Page