Old and new sources of risk: a study of societal risk perception in Finland

Abstract

It has been argued that many of the present-day societies are witnessing the emergence of new types of concerns alongside the more traditional sources of distress. However, little research has focused on the perception of these new types of risks. This paper examines the risk perceptions across adult population in Finland. We compare the average ratings of different types of risks and then examine how much socio-demographic disparities exist among these ratings. Our data are derived from a nationally representative mail survey collected in the fall of 2009. The survey gave a response rate of 49% (n = 1202). Our findings show that there are differences in the risk perceptions between different types of risks. Socio-demographic differences matter, as age, gender and place of residence in particular appear as significant determinants of risk perception. Further on, women and older respondents rate international and traditional risks as well as media and pornography as more of a concern compared to men and younger respondents. Although existing theoretical literature suggests there to be only minor differences in risk perception between population groups, this study seeks to better understand what sort of differences there really exists.