Policy Implications of Risk Perception Research: A Case of the Emperor's New Clothes?

Abstract

Objections to research on risk perception have been put forward. It has been argued that the phenomenon of risk perception has few or no implications for policy problems, and hence that applied research should turn to other topics. Although some research on risk perception has indeed been less than informative, this is not true, however, of all of such work. And the phenomenon of risk perception is implicated in some very important and difficult current policy problems, such as the siting of unwanted facilities and the allocation of resources for life-saving purposes. Progress in risk perception research is briefly reviewed, and reasons for the critical comments in some quarters are discussed, among these reasons being illusions of extensive funding (social science research gets a very small share of the funds allocated to technology, the natural sciences and medicine) and unrealistic expectations about the ability of social scientists to solve specific and very difficult policy problems.