Environmental Risk Perception Research Articles

Consumer reactions to environmentally irresponsible sourcing practices: An intentionality and motive perspective

AbstractThe purpose of this research is to better understand how and why consumers pay attention to a firm's environmentally irresponsible sourcing practices. Using signaling theory, this research develops and tests a model that examines how a firm's intentionality and motive behind irresponsible environmental sourcing practices can signal a product's environmental characteristics to consumers. The findings suggest that consumers tend to view products as more environmentally harmful when they learn that a firm intentionally sources from irresponsible suppliers. Likewise, consumers are more likely to react unfavorably to a firm's products when a firm prioritizes profit motives over responsible sourcing practices. This research also offers insight into how a firm's corrective response strategy (e.g., mandatory vs. voluntary environmental supplier actions) could mitigate the adverse impact of the firm's environmentally irresponsible sourcing practices on consumer perceptions of environmental risk. The findings indicate that a firm's mandatory corrective actions targeted to its suppliers are more likely to be effective, whereas voluntary actions were found to be ineffective. Two experiments were conducted to test the study's hypotheses. Managerial and societal implications are also discussed.

Perceptions of Tree Risks and Benefits in a Historically African American Neighborhood

An expansive body of research demonstrates the social and ecological benefits of urban forests, although urban tree canopy density tends to be lower than average in areas occupied by marginalized populations. Non-profit organizations and local governments have initiated tree-planting programs; however, some of these programs have encountered local resistance. This study took place in a historically African American neighborhood in the Southern USA with a low tree canopy where residents expressed disinterest in replanting trees following a tree hazard removal campaign led by a local non-profit organization. Employing focus groups and interviews, we explored residents’ environmental attitudes and risk perceptions by asking about the risks and benefits of neighborhood trees and barriers to the enjoyment of them. The material and emotional bonds residents have with the neighborhood informed their preferences about trees and green space. Trees were often viewed as hazards and financial risks, although they were an integral part of residents’ identities for themselves and their community. The findings suggest that neglecting to look at diverse perceptions will challenge a city’s ability to communicate about the urban forest and, therefore, sustainably address disparities in tree benefits and problems.

Creating safety amidst chronic contamination: A mixed-method analysis of residents’ experiences in a Southern Italian steel town

This study analyses how residents create safety in Taranto, Italy, a city located next to one of the largest steel plants in Europe. Combining long-term ethnographic research with an online-based survey, our study shows that most respondents recognise and criticise the presence of environmental risks in their daily lives but encounter such risks in complex ways. Contrary to previous scholarship suggesting that pollution can result in alienating residents from their lived environment, this research shows that acute awareness of environmental risks does not necessarily undermine attachment to place but rather can co-exist with or even strengthen it. Our findings propose first that residents experience and understand environmental risk mostly through air pollution, but often situate risks outside of their own neighbourhood and inscribe different meanings to such risk. Second, residents mitigate environmental risk through practices aimed at creating safety, such as moving away from the industrial area or using everyday practices and reflecting on their responsibility for actions. Third, we argue that residents create safety through an attachment and entitlement to place and emotional detachment from pollution and institutional failures. Finally, in line with residents’ concerns about safety and how to secure it, this study embraces a shift in its analytical focus from risk to the quest for safety. By doing so, it provides novel insights into environmental risk perception in industrially polluted areas and reveals the often-contradictory sentiments and practices that such areas invoke in residents.

Cultural worldviews and waste sorting among urban Chinese dwellers: the mediating role of environmental risk perception.

Waste sorting has received considerable attention in recent decades. However, research on the mechanisms underlying the relationships among cultural worldview, environmental risk perception, and waste sorting is rather scarce. This study aims to explore the cultural worldviews, environmental risk perception, and waste sorting among urban Chinese and their mechanisms. This was a cross-sectional study involving 744 urban Chinese residents (371 men and 373 women). A questionnaire was utilized to measure cultural worldviews, environmental risk perception, and waste sorting. Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were used to examine the relationship between cultural worldviews, perceptions of environmental risk, and waste sorting. Waste sorting had a relatively insignificant negative relationship with fatalism and individualism. The correlation between environmental risk perception and cultural worldviews was negative except for egalitarianism, and the correlation between hierarchy and environmental risk perception was higher than the others, while individualism was higher than fatalism. Heightened environmental risk perception mediates the relationship between egalitarianism and waste sorting. Reduced environmental risk perception mediates the relationship between hierarchy and waste sorting, and mediates the relationship between individualism and waste sorting. These new findings provide initial support for the mediating role of environmental risk perception in the relationship between cultural worldviews and waste sorting. Both theoretical and practical implications for understanding the psychological mechanisms of waste sorting are discussed.

A study of the impact of risk perception on the pro-environmental behaviour of herders in the Sanjiangyuan region

This study aims to study the pro-environmental behaviour of herders in the Sanjiangyuan region, a significant ecological security barrier. This paper selected 212 herding households in the Sanjiangyuan area as research subjects by random sampling method. By establishing a multivariate ordered logistics model to study the impact of risk perception on herding households' pro-environmental behaviour and introducing capital endowment as a moderating variable to analyse the moderating effect of capital endowment on the relationship of herding households' risk perception—pro-environmental behaviour. The study results show that herders's risk perception significantly affects their pro-environmental behaviour, in which environmental risk perception, economic risk perception and disease risk perception positively affect their pro-environmental behaviour. Capital endowment has a moderating role in the relationship between risk perception and the pro-environmental behaviour of herding households. Accordingly, this paper proposes to strengthen publicity and education, encourage herders to join cooperatives, and improve the ability of risk perception and other countermeasures.

Perception of Environmental Risks of Phytosanitary Products in the Market Gardening in Douvar Municipality of Mokolo (Far North Region of Cameroon)

Peri-urban market gardening plays an important role in the supply of fresh vegetables in the town of Mokolo (Far North, Cameroon) and its surroundings. This activity is concentrated around the dam supplying drinking water to the Mokolo city. To fight against pests and increase their yield, market gardeners’ resort to pesticides, with the risks they often ignore. The objective of this study is to assess the perception of risks and effects linked to the use of plant protection products on human health and the environment in particular. The study was made through a survey and was carried out among 88 market gardeners using survey sheets. The results obtained show that in the locality of Douvar, market gardening is more practiced by young people under 35 years old. They also use plant protection products which are dangerous for human health and the environment. Market gardeners use 13 different types of pesticides with a dominance of insecticides (60.92%). The survey also showed that 100% of farmers agree that the use of pesticides leads to good yields and also eradicated insects and disease. However, the decision to carry out phytosanitary treatments and the timing of treatment are often conditioned by the availability of the product and the presence of the attack. The majority of market gardeners (83%) are not educated and therefore do not have a good knowledge on the application rates and the frequencies of treatment of crops.

The effects of perceptions of environmental health risk and environmental risk on sustainable infectious waste management behaviours among citizens in Bangkok, Thailand

This study aims to examine how people's perceived characteristics of environmental risks and environmental health risks, as associated with COVID-19 infectious waste problems, affect their participation in sustainable infectious waste management behaviours (i.e. infectious waste minimization, waste collection awareness, and infectious waste segregation). Questionnaires were conducted with 521 people living in Bangkok, Thailand. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to validate the study variables, followed by structural equation modelling (SEM) to test how perceived characteristics of environmental risks (perceived ecological threat occurrence to the environment and perceived severity of the threat to the environment), the environmental health risks themselves (perceived ecological threat occurrence to human health and perceived severity of the threat to human health) and socio-economic characteristics influence individuals' sustainable infectious waste management behaviours. The results revealed that perceived ecological threat occurrence to the environment and human health did not statistically affect all types of sustainable infectious waste management behaviours, but perceived severity of the ecological threat to human health significantly affected individuals' infectious waste minimization and segregation. Perceived severity of the ecological threat to the environment only affected infectious waste collection awareness. In addition, the respondents' age and education level positively and significantly affected most types of behaviours, whereas income only had a negative effect on respondents' infectious waste minimization. These results provide implications for the development of communication strategies to motivate people to participate in sustainable infectious waste management behaviours.

Rationality and the exploitation of natural resources: a psychobiological conceptual model for sustainability

AbstractThis article proposes a psychobiological conceptual model that incorporates the vulnerability and exhaustibility of the ecosystem into the notion of rational behavior. After providing a review of relevant literature in economics, psychology and sociology, we analyze the theoretical and practical limitations of economic rationality under conditions of climate devastation. By employing a logical consequence approach, we describe and broaden the cognitive process of rational choice to include the influence of externalities, institutions, markets, and the ecosystem. We propose two existing constructs as perceptual conditions restraining the rational exploitation of natural resources: restitution and substitution. These constructs are conditioned by the degree of the irreplaceability of materials. Under these premises, we purport that individuals act in a rational manner subject to the extent of restitution and substitution of resources, depending on their perception of economic, environmental, and social risk.

Evaluation of Perceived Environmental Risks of Residents' Life under the Perspective of Environmental Public Opinion

Population health, social development and the environment are important elements of sustainable development. This article uses the China People's Daily message board to collect environmental public opinion data, visualizes the public opinion hotspots of environmental based on word frequency statistics, and applies the Latent Dirichlet Allocations (LDA) topic model to analyze the spatial distribution of environmental risk perception dimensions. The conclusions are as follows: (1) in terms of the hotspots of environmental public opinion, the most frequent occurrences are the living environment, interest demands and noise pollution. (2) There is heterogeneity in the topic of environmental risk perception. The perception of pollution source types has the highest weight in environmental risk perception in the eastern, central, and western regions. Specifically, the types of pollution sources in the eastern that receive the most attention are garbage and noise pollution. In addition to paying attention to noise pollution, the central and western also have a higher perceived weight on the polluters. Residents in northeast are most concerned about changes in residents' health and living environment quality. (3) From the perspective of environmental risk perception, health perception has the highest proportion in northeast, followed by the eastern, and finally the central and western. Proportion of perception of interest demands is highest in the central region, perception of residential environment quality is highest in the northeast region, perception of pollution source types is highest in the eastern, central, and western regions, and lowest in the northeast region. Finally, some practical and feasible policy recommendations were proposed for different regions.

A Dark Side of Trust: Examining the Influence of Environmental Risk Perception on Citizens’ Plastic-Avoiding Behavior

A Dark Side of Trust: Examining the Influence of Environmental Risk Perception on Citizens’ Plastic-Avoiding Behavior

Risk Managament and Student Enrolment

This study sought to determine whether students’ perceptions of health, security, and environmental risks influence student enrolment at private universities in rural areas of Nigeria, as well as whether security risks mediate the correlations between the variables in the study. The research utilised multistage sampling approaches to ascertain and analyse scientific knowledge on the impact of the perceptions of the three risk management variables on students from three different universities situated in the north, central and southwest regions and across six academic branches of learning. To analyse the study, the generalised structured component analysis method was used. The findings reveal that perceptions about environmental and health risks are very important and vital for university enrolment as well as performance. Although security is crucial, the results show that enrolment performance is notably moderate. This study concludes that examining risk linkages and correlations is a critical consideration for ensuring the sustainability and development of Nigeria’s higher education sector, as well as its strategic management.

How Do Information Resources Influence the Public Environmental Risk Perception? A National Survey in China

How Do Information Resources Influence the Public Environmental Risk Perception? A National Survey in China

The influence of media narratives on microplastics risk perception.

Media are the interface between scientists and citizens, communicating and interpreting the risk message and powerfully influencing individual awareness, public debate, and, hence, people's behavior. Pollution by microplastics (MPs), a threat to public health and terrestrial and marine ecosystems, has received research, media, and public interest. However, how MPs environmental and health risks are reflected in the media and assessed in the scientific literature does not find consensus over time. To date, few studies have examined social aspects around MPs, such as, for example, factors that influence awareness and perception of the risk of MPs. In this context, the objective of this study is twofold. First, we determined if media narratives influenced Romanians' awareness of MPs, and second, we investigated if media narratives influenced Romanians' perceptions of MPs health and environmental risk. An online survey was conducted among 417 Romanian respondents. The questionnaire had 21 questions. The questions were related to the awareness of MPs, the perceived health risk of MPs, the perceived environmental risk of MPs, the intensity of exposure to media narratives about the MPs impact on health and the environment, and the demographics. Binary logistic regression was run to identify what media narratives influenced MPs awareness and risk perception. In recent times, mass media has shaped perceptions of health and environmental risks, driven by events like COVID-19 and global climate change. Our study relies on media narratives as its foundation. Binary logistic regression showed that the awareness of MPs is influenced by the media narrative "Microplastics in the sea threaten fish stocks" (p = 0.001). When the frequency of exposure to this media narrative increases, the probability of reporting awareness of MPs increases. Likewise, an increase in age represents a higher probability of reporting awareness of MPs. The perceived health risk of MPs, with the highest weighting, was related to the dependent variable "Leakage of harmful chemicals from MPs affects the soil" (p = 0.014). Media narratives about plastic and MPs pollution have increased over time, influencing the perception of this risk. The study argues the need for accurate and balanced media reporting on MPs to prevent the spread of misinformation and ensure that people clearly understand MPs risks. Furthermore, a closer examination of people's perceptions supports the design of appropriate interventions to reduce plastic consumption, thereby decreasing the risks of MPs pollution with benefits for human health and the environment.

The Effects on the Satisfaction and Behavioral Intention for Beauty Service Quality Risk Perception Factors of MZ Generation

This study investigated the degree of influence of risk factors on beauty service quality on satisfaction with beauty service quality and intention to use beauty shops among MZ generation women in Daejeon, Chungcheong province. The results are as follows. The risk perception of beauty service quality was similar for both Generation M and Generation Z, and no statistical significance was found. In satisfaction with beauty service quality, Generation M was found to be slightly higher than Generation Z in physical, economic, performance, and service quality. The perception of intention to use beauty shop services was similar between Generation M (M=4.24) and Generation Z (M=4.12), and there was no statistically significant difference. Technical, physical, economic, performance, and environmental risk perception, which are sub-areas of beauty service quality risk perception, had a negative correlation with service quality satisfaction and beauty shop service use behavior intention. The sub-area of beauty service quality satisfaction was found to have a positive correlation with the behavioral intention to use beauty shop services. In addition, in the impact of beauty service quality risk perception on beauty service quality satisfaction, technical, performance, and environmental risk perception were found to have a significant negative influence. In the impact of beauty service quality risk perception on the intention to use beauty shop services, technical and environmental risk perception were found to have a significant negative influence. In the impact of service quality satisfaction on the intention to use beauty shop services, technical, performance, and environmental satisfaction were found to have a significant positive(+) effect, and physical satisfaction was found to have a significant negative(-) effect. Therefore, it is believed that the results of this study can be used not only as basic data for research in this field, but also as data for marketing strategies.

Analysis of information to promote participation in waste separate collection: Used cooking oil in Japan

Separate collection and recycling of used cooking oil (UCO) to generate biodiesel fuel for use as an alternative to fossil fuels can reduce environmental burden. Therefore, establishment of a system to recycle UCO from households is urgently needed. For this, it is critical to analyze the information needed to increase participation of individuals in this endeavor. An online survey was conducted throughout Japan to determine effective information, based on the theory of planned behavior. The future intentions of 2380 individuals who did not participate in the separate UCO collection, with different usual pro-environmental behavior and environmental risk perception were analyzed. The policy implications of this study for accelerating the separate collection of UCO are as follows. First, the intention to participate in future separate collections of UCO was most effectively improved by providing information on the environmental benefits of separate UCO collection as well as on how to separate UCO. Second, information provision was more effective for those who "highly perceived the environmental risk" and "engaged in pro-environmental behavior" in their daily lives.

Mother’s knowledge for environmental risks and self-awareness for the presence of pollutants in her living area in West and Central Anatolia: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundEnvironmental risk awareness is a key concept to raise awareness and plan future programs for environmental protection. A cross-sectional household survey aimed to find out the presence of environmental hazards next to living area and the mother’s knowledge levels about environmental risk factors with their related factors according to district development ranking, and Western and Central Anatolian regions with sampling from rural and urban residence.MethodThe study was designed with household sampling weighted according to population density in 2008. Data on the demography and health status, dwelling characteristics of the residents are also collected in 2009. In addition, open-ended questions "What does environmental risk/hazard mean?" and "Which environmental risks/hazards are present in your environment?" were asked. The data collected from the survey were analyzed using multivariate binary logistic regression. ResultsThe sample included 3489 mothers living either in urban or rural areas. Of the mothers, 19.3% did not know what an environmental risk is and 75.7% stated that there was at least one environmental pollutant in their environment. The most commonly perceived risk factor was air pollution (23.0%), which was reported to be present in their living areas by 12.4%. Regions, residence, settlement features of the house, and health status of family members were associated with the perception of environmental risk at a statistically significant level.ConclusionThe neighborhood conditions and health status of family associated with the mother’s awareness for environmental risk factors. Communication and cooperation between local governments, health institutions, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders should be strengthened to increase risk awareness.

Infrastructure development and environmental risk perceptions in the Wild Coast, South Africa

Government’s proposal to construct the N2 Toll Road in the Wild Coast was lauded for its ‘developmental agenda’ in the historically neglected Wild Coast communities of the Eastern Cape province. This project, the government and business groups envisaged, would open up the coastal communities of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces to economic development of the region and the nation in general. However, the road project has equally been criticised by several local communities and environmental advocacy groups who associate the road with the controversial plan to mine titanium in the region and its anticipated social and ecological disasters. Using a qualitative research approach that utilised face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions, secondary data review and observations, the study found that different communities associate the project with high risks regarding their environment.Contribution: The study was anchored on the cultural theory of risk perception, which helped in exploring how people’s preferences differ in terms of how life should be organised, their perceptions of risk, and their responses to it.

What psychological factors lead to the abandonment of cultivated land by coastal farmers? An interpretation based on the psychological distance

For a long time, the research on the cultivated land abandonment behavior of farmers, caused by natural constraints such as coastal ecological environment vulnerability and frequent extreme climates, has received extensive attention. However, few scholars pay attention to the impact of psychological construction of farmers’ environmental risk perception on abandoned farming behavior, especially the use of psychological distance (PD) to quantify this abstract psychological process. Taking Shankou Town, Guangxi, China as an example, this study combines the PD in the field of sociology with the construal level theory to build a PD framework for coastal farmers. A structural equation model was used to explore the influence mechanism of the social, temporal, hypothetical, and spatial distances on farmers’ cultivated land abandonment behavior. We found that coastal land abandonment is affected by social trust and the probability of extreme weather, although the risk preference under the ‘discount rate’ is not significantly affected. At the same time, the closer the spatial distance between the residence and the coastline, the higher the abandonment of cultivated land, although with a different impact. In addition, population mobility and human-sea connection were found to play a mediating role in the effect of psychological distance on cultivated land abandonment. We confirmed that the direction of the effects of the four types of psychological distance on land abandonment behavior is not consistent. This study is helpful to understand the cultivated land abandonment behavior of farmers in coastal zone, and tries to provide reference for coastal zone planting planning.

Political Trust and Ecological Crisis Perceptions in Developing Economies: Evidence from Ecuador

ABSTRACTCould an individual’s perception of the possibility of a future ecological crisis be linked to their level of political trust? Studies of environmental attitudes have identified political trust as an important predictor of support for environmental taxation or risk perceptions surrounding specific local environmental hazards, but less is known about its role when environmental risks are perceived as diffuse and distant. Using original survey data from Ecuador, this article finds that political distrust predicts heightened ecological crisis perceptions and that higher educational attainment intensifies this relationship. A follow-up analysis of the AmericasBarometer’s Ecuador survey shows that political distrust also predicts higher concern about climate change. These findings suggest that when evaluations of political institutions reflect perceptions of environmental risks, individuals blame the government for environmental failures. The implications of this study are particularly relevant for political institutions in developing economies, where the public sector often spearheads development efforts.

Factors leading to sustainable consumption behavior: an empirical investigation among millennial consumers

PurposePromoting sustainable consumption is key to global sustainable development. The current study aims to explore the impact of environmental risk perception, environmental knowledge, social pressure and health consciousness on sustainable behavior intention among millennial consumers.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a survey method and a self-administered questionnaire to obtain data from the millennial generation. Smart partial least square (PLS) 4.0 was used to analyze data. This research used judgmental sampling and collected 596 valid responses.FindingsThe present study indicates that sustainable consumption is becoming more prevalent among millennials. The authors observed that a high level of environmental risk perception, environmental knowledge, social pressure and health consciousness are the antecedents of sustainable behavioral intention, ultimately leading to sustainable consumption behavior.Research limitations/implicationsThe current study highlights the millennial generation's sustainable consumption behavior. Researchers, policymakers, scientists, managers, industry professionals and brand managers can use the research findings to establish a sustainable framework.Originality/valueThis research finds that promoting ecological consumption and environmental consciousness can help developing countries achieve environmental sustainability and ecological balance. The research findings add to the literature by offering new insights into customers' pricing perception for sustainable products and sustainable product availability toward sustainable consumption behavior in developing countries.