Trust, the Economy, and Environmental Risk: An Exploratory Study of Risk Perceptions in Bourgas, Bulgaria. Ann Bostrom, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA; Krassimira Paskaleva, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, GA; and Richard Barke, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Twenty-four interviews collected in the region of Bourgas, Bulgaria illustrate perceptions of the economy and environmental risk in a transitional society. This paper focuses on the role of trust in these perceptions, specifically in the context of soil contamination associated with Neftochim, a large petrochemical plant. Interviewees were concerned about financial security, their jobs, and the economy. Top concerns very seldom included the environment, although the health of family members was sometimes mentioned. However, when asked about environmental concerns, almost all interviewees were very concerned, and mentioned air pollution from the Neftochim plant first. Soil contamination was frequently listed among the top five environmental concerns. With regard to farm land, many were as or more concerned about land restitution policies and the declining economic viability of agriculture in the region as they were about soil contamination, though some interviewees mentioned that crops were contaminated by local pollution and thus less marketable. Some interviewees even mentioned that air pollution would settle and cause soil contamination, as could spills and leaks from Neftochim. In contrast, a couple of interviewees judged natural disasters as the greatest risks associated with farm land in the region, and some cited contamination from excessive use of herbicides and fertilizers. There was virtually no awareness of legal rights regarding land cleanup, and no confidence that any such rights, if they existed, could be enforced. Despite this, many expressed a willingness to pay (at least hypothetically) some (small) portion of their income to mitigate the identified local environmental risks. There were no explicit discussions of tradeoffs between jobs at Neftochim and pollution from the plant. People generally judged Neftochim capable but unwilling and/or untrustworthy to do anything about the risks. Those who either worked at Nefochim or whose family members worked there were more confident of Neftochim’s capabilities in this regard, but equally distrustful. A pilot survey (N=34) confirmed many of these findings. In exploratory analyses of the pilot data, trust in Neftochim to be open and honest in its risk management efforts predicted perceptions of overall risk from Neftochim, better than judgments of the magnitudes or probabilities of risks or benefits.
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