Now you see the panic, now you don't : general and personal risk perceptions in German laypersons before and after the Fukushima nuclear accident

Abstract

Risk perceptions are examined from two core perspectives: For assessing general risk perceptions, laypersons' are asked to compare the riskiness of different hazards (e.g., nuclear power vs. hydropower) and for assessing personal risk perceptions, they are asked to estimate the risk for a specific person (e.g., a peer). In the present study, these fundamental different perspectives are compared and changes in risk estimations after the Fukushima accident were assessed. A first online survey was conducted in 2010 (N = 550) and a second one two weeks after the Fukushima accident in 2011 (N = 1094). In both studies, participants were asked to select today's five biggest risks for health and to rate the likelihood of health problems due to the hazards for an average peer. Prior to the Fukushima accident, nuclear energy was rated as being the sixth biggest health risk, but after the accident it was rated as being the third biggest risk, 2(1) = 39.38, p2 = .01. Thus, a heightened risk perception regarding nuclear energy after the Fukushima accident was most pronounced when taking an across hazard perspective, but diminished when people took an across person perspective. Also, the overemphasis of technological risks can be put into perspective when people base their judgments on a more concrete, person-related framework, suggesting that certain ways to ask questions erroneously facilitate the "mass panic" phenomenon blanched by the media.