Risk perception, affect, and information avoidance during the 2016 U.S. Presidential election

Abstract

During a presidential election cycle, voters consume information to alleviate uncertainty about the candidates and the process. As a result, elections offer an interesting (and somewhat novel) context for studying risk-related information behaviors. Here we argue that individuals avoid certain information, depending on the amount of risk they perceive and to what extent they experience risk-related affect. Based on national survey data collected one month prior to the 2016 U.S. presidential election (N = 512), we found that risk perception influenced information avoidance through affective responses to the different types of risks. Specifically, financial and political risk influenced avoidance through negative affective response to risk, while policy risk influenced avoidance through both positive and negative affective response. Thus, the mediation of affective responses varies by the type of perceived risks.