1 / 32

Hazard Risk and Culture ( Wildavsky and Dake., in Cutter: Ch 13 )

Geography 106b Hazards. Hazard Risk and Culture ( Wildavsky and Dake., in Cutter: Ch 13 ). theories of risk perception, a focus on individuals/groups knowledge personality economic political cultural which explains most/best? implications. Discussion.

starbuck
Download Presentation

Hazard Risk and Culture ( Wildavsky and Dake., in Cutter: Ch 13 )

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Geography 106bHazards Hazard Risk and Culture(Wildavsky and Dake., in Cutter: Ch 13) • theories of risk perception, a focus on individuals/groups • knowledge • personality • economic • political • cultural • which explains most/best? • implications Geog 2152

  2. Discussion • Why do some people feel nuclear technology or chemical pesticides or hazardous waste are a large concern while others feel they are a small concern? • We have already focused attention on characteristics of hazards; what about characteristics of individuals/groups? Geog 2152

  3. Why should we care? • Why bother doing research on what hazards people fear and why? Geog 2152

  4. Why should we care? • Why bother doing research on what hazards people fear and why? Geog 2152

  5. Problem • several different theories to explain why some (technological) hazard risks warrant attention and others do not • which theory(ies) is/are most important? • knowledge • personality • economic • political • cultural Geog 2152

  6. Knowledge Theory • pragmatic • thesis: awareness: of-course-people-are-worried-they-have-lots-to-worry-about (Holdren, 1983) • focus on safety: “subtle” threats (e.g., nuclear technology) receive attention because more immediately serious (e.g., auto accidents) are “taken care of” Geog 2152

  7. Knowledge Theory • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – e.g., for safety Geog 2152

  8. Measuring Knowledge Theory • self report • level of education • perceptual accuracy (fatalities from 8 technological activities compared to expert-collected data – e.g. contraceptives, aviation, lawn mowers) • hypothesis: greater knowledge = greater perceived threat from hazards Geog 2152

  9. Measuring Knowledge Theory Questions: • Do you agree that these measures relate well to the theory? • Do you agree with the hypothesis that greater knowledge will be associated with greater perceived hazard threat? Why/why not? Geog 2152

  10. Personality Theory • perceived danger • risk takers and risk averters Oblomov Geog 2152

  11. Measuring Personality Theory • traditional, validated measures developed by psychologists • Adjective Check List, California Psychological Inventory • scales developed for other purposes • e.g., autonomous, conciliatory, exhibitionist • hypothesis: there is consistency between various personality types and perceived threat from hazards Geog 2152

  12. Economic Theory(two competing theories) classical • wealthy more willing to take risks with technology (i.e., they benefit) • poor less willing as they bear burdens (e.g., pollution) post materialist • high living standards achieved, want (even) better health and better interpersonal relations • wealth/free market capitalism not ends in themselves Geog 2152

  13. Measuring Economic Theory • income Question • Which hypothesis do you find more compelling, the classical or the post-materialist? Geog 2152

  14. Political Theory • risk view advances or maintains political position/power • researchers focus on socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, social class, liberal-conservative rating, membership in political party) Geog 2152

  15. Measuring Political Orientation • political party membership • liberal-conservative ideology scale (stance on 20 policy issues) • self-rated liberal or conservative Geog 2152

  16. Cultural Theory • choice of risk to fear supports (consistent with) “way of life” or “political culture” (e.g., rural farming, retirement, child rearing) • supported by: • cultural biases: worldviews (way the world does and should work) • interpersonal relations (connections) (hierarchical, egalitarian, individualist) • social relations studied most (but often called cultural biases) Geog 2152

  17. Cultural Biases hierarchist • superiors and subordinates • authority • obedience • e.g., military, scientists vs laypeople egalitarian • diminish difference (e.g., gender, race, wealth) • everybody has “authority” • e.g., the “Borg” Geog 2152

  18. Cultural Biases individualist • emphasize freedom, choice • competition • self regulation • minimize “constraints” (i.e., anti hierarchist in this respect) “Mavericks” Geog 2152

  19. Measuring Cultural Biases hierarchy index • patriotism: “I’m for my country, right or wrong” • law and order: “The police should have the right to listen in on private telephone conversations when in investigating crime” • ethical standards: “I think I am stricter about right and wrong than most people” • centralized government: “Centralization is one of the things that makes a country great.” Geog 2152

  20. Measuring Cultural Biases individualism index • primacy of individuals: “Most of what I value in life is achieved through my own efforts; my community and the place I live in contribute little.” • free market paramount: “The welfare state tends to destroy individual initiative” • individual effort rewarded: “If a person has the vision and ability to acquire property, s/he ought to be allowed to enjoy it him/herself” Geog 2152

  21. Measuring Cultural Biases egalitarianism index • redistribute resources: “Much of the conflict in this world could be eliminated if we had more equal distribution of resources among nations.” • government intervention: “I support a tax shift so that the burden falls more heavily on corporations and persons with large incomes.” • anti-institutionalized inequality: “The human goals of sharing and brotherhood are being hindered by current big institutions” Geog 2152

  22. Discussion • Which theory do you think is the single best explanation of variation in hazard risk perception (i.e., why some hazards evoke high concern in some people but not others). • Why? Geog 2152

  23. Results Re: 25 Technological Hazards • 134 San Francisco residents • intensive telephone surveys knowledge • inconsistent or weak: greater knowledge = greater perceived benefit and lower perceived threat (relationship often weak or statistically insignificant) Geog 2152

  24. Results Re: 25 Technological Hazards personality • consistent: • hazard averse = less aggressive, less autonomous, more conciliatory, more obedient (see hierarchism) • hazard indifferent = more exhibitionist, more autonomous, less deferent (see egalitarianism and individualism) • no theory to explain this • consistent with social relations categories (see above, see cultural theory) Geog 2152

  25. Results Re: 25 Technological Hazards economic • inconsistent: neither high income nor low income groups perceived hazards as threatening Geog 2152

  26. Results Re: 25 Technological Hazards political • consistent: liberals, on self-rated liberal-conservative scale, more likely see hazards as threatening • political types also correlated with social relations categories • liberal 0.50 with egalitarianism -0.55 with hierarchism, and -0.37 with individualism • republican 0.31 hierarchism, and 0.40 with individualism and -0.45 with egalitarianism Geog 2152

  27. Results Re: 25 Technological Hazards cultural (social relations) • consistent (in expected directions) • all below are statistically significant # correlation coefficients – vary between -1 and 1. 0 = no correlation * value unspecified Geog 2152

  28. Summary of Findings • cultural theory = best single explanation: since social relations are correlated with political and personality (Wildavsky and Dake) • BUT – recent studies show cultural bias is a significant but weak predictor or risk perception (a measurement issue?) Geog 2152

  29. More Social ContextSocial Conflict over Hazards • worldviews (cultural biases), especially when they clash (conflict) = entrenchment • can “trump” seemingly straightforward technical “facts” • e.g., Sabatier and Hunter (1989): present info - wealth of scientific evidence shows 15 year decline in water clarity: • environmentalists believe data • economic growth advocates did not Source: http://www.infoshop.org/ Geog 2152

  30. More Social ContextTrust in Institutions • how people perceive institutions is also involved (but linked to cultural bias) • e.g., Bord and OConnor (1991): perceived risk of food irradiation correlated with trust in food industry and scientists • “trust” effect replicated in several studies source: http://www.thismodernworld.org Geog 2152

  31. perceived hazard characteristics cultural bias perceived risk Role for Dread Uncertainty etc? • recall that characteristics of hazards also determine risk concern • e.g., dread, uncertainty, controllability • e.g., cultural biases may predict dread etc. (sample size too small to test) Geog 2152

  32. Implications Question: • What does all this mean for say, hazard risk management, and hazard risk communication? Geog 2152

More Related