Coping With Risk-Induced Stigma: Challenges and Opportunities. Howard C. Kunreuther, Dept. of Decision Science WHARTON School, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104; and Paul Slovic, Decision Research, 1201 Oak St., Eugene, OR 97401
The word "#34 was used by the ancient Greeks to refer to a mark placed on individuals to signify infamy or disgrace. People thus marked were perceived to pose a risk to society. Due to its association with risk, the concept of stigma has been generalized in modern times to technologies, places, and products that are perceived as unduly dangerous. Stigma plays out socially in opposition to many technological activities, particularly those involving chemical and radiation use, in the large and rapidly growing number of lawsuits claiming property devaluation caused by perceptions of risk, and in the avoidance of products said to be contaminated (e.g. British Beef). How should we deal with stigma and its impacts? Stigma is a powerful force in modern democratic societies because information generated by science, technology, and communications media often interacts with the idiosyncrasies of human cognition to disrupt industries, products, communities, and people’s lives. Social and economic responses may be exaggerated, even unwarranted, leading to impacts far more serious than the threat that triggered the response. In such cases, democratic societies face the challenge of how to manage stigma and reduce the vulnerability of important products, industries, and institutions to its effects, without suppressing proper risk communication to the public. This paper examines the causes of stigma and explores ways to mange it effectively.
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