Communicating About Risks: Analyzing Determinants of Success and Failure. B. Rohrmann, University of Melbourne, Australia
Risk communication (RC) has important aims, such as, informing about hazards and their impacts on human health and well-being, modifying risk-related attitudes and behavior, facilitating cooperation and joint conflict resolution, enhancing disaster preparedness. Therefore RC efficiency is a responsibility, and risk communicators should critically evaluate their efforts. However, mere outcome data collection is not good enough - analyzing determinants of success and failure requires an understanding of causes and effects. In this conceptual contribution, a theoretical framework for the socio-psychological process underlying risk information, communication and education efforts is outlined. The model identifies a set of message features (e.g., content clarity), person characteristics (e.g., experience, cognitive biases), social influences (e.g. , peers, media) and context factors (e.g., societal safety culture) which determine whether, and if so, how a particular RC regarding a hazard (i.e., a health & safety threat) influences individual risk assessment and management (i.e., risk appraisal, decision for preventive action and actual risk behavior). Three overlapping processes need to be considered and linked: how people deal with hazards, how risk information is processed and evaluated, and how accepted information affects risk perception, evaluation and behavior. Feedback pathways are looked at as well. A comprehensive model of the RC process is indispensable for several reasons: It may be utilized as a heuristic for designing programs, for assessing campaign outcomes, and for identifying barriers to risk awareness and attitude or behavior change. The presented framework has proven useful in several studies about technological hazards as well as natural disasters. It can be elaborated with regard to problem type, target audience, communication means and attitudes and behaviors to be dealt with. Further application will explicate the soundness of this RC model.
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