The Effect of Risk Perceptions on Online Political Participatory Decisions

Abstract

Since the emergence of the Internet as an outlet for mass political participation, there has been considerable disagreement over whether political activities can be performed reliably and securely online. In this paper, we consider one aspect of this debate, assessing whether the general public perceives differential risk in participating in political activities occurring on the Internet and in those occurring in traditional media. Using a series of split-sample experiments, we find evidence that the public believes online political activities are more likely to generate adverse consequences than do their offline counterparts. We then demonstrate that risk perceptions are a significant factor in decisions to participate in a variety of online political activities. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings.