Environmental Risk Perception, Health Concerns and Attitudes for Change. Daniela Kolarova, Ph.D., Sofia University “St. Kl. Ohridski,” Losenetz, Brjasr str. 20, Bulgaria, Sofia 1164, telephones + 359 2 66 35 37, + 359 2 / 963 26 77, fax +359 2 / 66 43 18, e-mails daniela@bitex.com or pdcmm@mbox.cit.bg
This study explored how the level and characteristics of environmental risks influence the individuals’ attitude to take concrete measures for change. It is known that environmental risk perception depends on different factors like knowledge about the consequences and influence on humans, severity of consequences and controllability. Additional factors have been found to have significant relation to environmental risk perception and especially to the attitude for participation in ecological improvement. These factors were: 1) perceived personal health and 2) different aspects of the socio-economic status.
The subjects were 748 individuals participating in a random sample, 489 females and 253 males. Mean age of the respondents was 36 years, their education varied from basic to university and their socio-economic status was quite different.
It was found that the level of health concerns makes difference when people judge the importance of different sources of pollution, outdoor and indoor, and when they think about the costs and benefits of the industrial development. For example, people who perceived their health condition to be very bad had a tendency to be focused more on the harms caused by the industrial pollution and declared stronger willingness to participate in ecological programs. In the same time the “bad health” group was more willing to support unlimited use of the cars in the cities than the group, which perceived their health to be good.
Similarly, the economic concerns of the individuals influenced their environmental judgements and attitudes. Respondents who felt material deprivation expressed higher level of sensitivity towards risks like industrial pollution, dirty public places, exhausts from motor vehicles and even towards global problems like the depletion of the ozone layer. Surpassingly (having in mind that the green orientations are usually thought to be mainly the middle class value) the same group showed stronger attitude to be involved in ecological activities, like maintaining the green parts of the neighbourhoods and promoting the idea for pedestrian zones in the cities.
The research funding and the issues raised by them are discussed in relation to the processes of risk communication, which includes better understanding of risk and generally serves the improvement of risk management practice.
Go to . . .
1999 SRA-Europe Table of Contents
1999 SRA-Europe Author Index
Main Abstracts Menu Page
RiskWorld Home Page