Risk Perception Literature Research Articles

Debating Environmental Change and Conflict in the Global South: Learning from Selected Cases in Africa

The crux of this paper centres on the dynamics of environmental change and ensuing conflict. This review paper accentuates the various theoretical underpinnings regarding environmental change and conflict. Particular reference was given to countries in the Global South because they are the most affected by environmental change-related conflict. It was established in this paper that population growth is positively correlated to militarised interstate disputes, although this is not always the case. Again, there is a lack of coding in current conflict dates, to the extent that it is often complicated to ascertain whether specific conflict trends can be traced back to environmental change. Conflict data usually use data sets from the environment-conflict nexus that only capture high-intensity conflict events, which often ignore low-scale conflict within states and districts. Thirdly, the averaging conflict would likely lead to biassed academic and policy conclusions. Fourthly, poor economic performances, either persistent or temporary, have the likelihood of causing violent conflicts. For instance, a land invasion in Brazil occurred immediately after adverse economic shocks.Further environmental degradation can cause migration by perpetuating migration. A significant obstacle encountered in the field of Risk perception literature pertains to the tendency of scholars to heavily depend on excessively deterministic explanations when conceptualising the concept of resource scarcity. Once more, the assessment of environmental change is exclusively based on small variations in temperature and precipitation. The examples examined in this study were selected from diverse geographical regions, encompassing East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, and Southern Africa. In agro-pastoral West Africa, the frequency of conflicts is on the rise. As a result, policymakers and multilateral funders are increasingly shouldering the responsibility due to the ongoing growth of populations and the changing environmental conditions. There seems to be a correlation between environmental degradation and conflict; however, the relationship between these two is not always apparent or might be the other way around. Based on current theorising and available empirical evidence, it remains debatable whether environmental degradation increases the risk of violent conflict or whether conflict is leading to natural resource deterioration.

How to improve IARC's RF-EMF cancer hazard communication.

A crucial aspect of IARC's evaluation of the relative carcinogenicity of agents is the communication of its conclusions. The present paper addressed the experimental risk perception literature pertaining to IARC's radiofrequency electromagnetic field evaluation communication, and derived specific recommendations for improving it.

Risk perception as a barrier to renewable energy finance – a study of debt investors in the Indian context

PurposeThis study aims to explore the perceptions of investors regarding the risks associated with funding renewable energy projects in India, as well as the various factors that influence these perceptions. The investigation is limited to debt providers and seeks to pinpoint the primary risks that bankers perceive and the drivers that shape these perceptions.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws on interviews and surveys of Indian bank executives, investigating how finance providers perceive risks in the Indian context and the factors driving such perceptions. Qualitative interviews have been used for operationalizing “risk perception” within the renewable energy domain, followed by a quantitative survey and exploratory factor analysis.FindingsThe authors find that experience and capacity are the most important factors that account for 30% of the overall variance. The second factor, which accounts for 15% of the variance, includes the perceived risks in funding renewable energy projects as compared to infrastructure projects. Among individual risks, the authors find that bankers perceive technological risk to be the lowest (5%) and contractual and regulatory risks as the highest (66%) in renewable energy projects.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contextualizes risk perception toward renewable energy investments in the Indian context by drawing from the risk perception literature and qualitative interviews with senior bankers. It presents empirical evidence on the decision-making behavior of bankers, who are important stakeholders of the renewable energy ecosystem. The main limitation of the study is the relatively small sample, and generalizing the results to the broader population might require a larger sample. This will facilitate the use of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, which can facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of risk perceptions in renewables financing.Originality/valueInsights gained can be used to provide policy recommendations for improving the financing ecosystem of renewable energy projects. The research significantly contributes to the extant literature within the renewable energy financing domain for emerging economies.

A sense of risk: Responses to crowdfunding risk disclosures

AbstractResearch SummaryThis paper examines how reward‐based crowdfunding backers respond to risk disclosures. Combining theoretical frameworks from financial accounting with the risk perception literature, we adopt an abductive research approach to explore various nuances that influence backers' tolerance for risk information. In addition to identifying the general dynamics in backers' risk interpretation, we highlight the complexities introduced by differences in the disclosure's semantic content, expressed feelings, and the discloser's background attributes. Relying on a hierarchical Bayesian mixture model, we first identify a positive curvilinear relationship between risk information quantity and crowdfunding success. We then demonstrate the influences of what is disclosed, how it is disclosed, and who discloses it, while emphasizing the context‐bound specificities of individual project types.Managerial SummaryOur study aids entrepreneurs to effectively communicate risks in reward‐based crowdfunding campaigns. We consistently find that entrepreneurs provided substantially less risk information than the optimum amount of information, emphasizing the need for more extensive disclosures. On what to disclose, backers favored information on risks that are consequential to them personally and not those that affect the entrepreneur's project. On how to disclose, expressed feelings had little influence on how much risk information backers preferred. However, who provides the disclosure was crucial, as trust‐enhancing factors increased backers' appetite for risk information. Together, our findings show that, while communicating risks, entrepreneurs should be cognizant that online backers undertake calculative evaluations and have material motivations. Furthermore, our category level results aid entrepreneurs in making practical judgments on context‐specific deviations across project types.

Choosing human over AI doctors? How comparative trust associations and knowledge relate to risk and benefit perceptions of AI in healthcare.

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is accelerating rapidly. Beyond the urge for technological optimization, public perceptions and preferences regarding the application of such technologies remain poorly understood. Risk and benefit perceptions of novel technologies are key drivers for successful implementation. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the factors that condition these perceptions. In this study, we draw on the risk perception and human-AI interaction literature to examine how explicit (i.e., deliberate) and implicit (i.e., automatic) comparative trust associations with AI versus physicians, and knowledge about AI, relate to likelihood perceptions of risks and benefits of AI in healthcare and preferences for the integration of AI in healthcare. We use survey data (N=378) to specify a path model. Results reveal that the path for implicit comparative trust associations on relative preferences for AI over physicians is only significant through risk, but not through benefit perceptions. This finding is reversed for AI knowledge. Explicit comparative trust associations relate to AI preference through risk and benefit perceptions. These findings indicate that risk perceptions of AI in healthcare might be driven more strongly by affect-laden factors than benefit perceptions, which in turn might depend more on reflective cognition. Implications of our findings and directions for future research are discussed considering the conceptualization of trust as heuristic and dual-process theories of judgment and decision-making. Regarding the design and implementation of AI-based healthcare technologies, our findings suggest that a holistic integration of public viewpoints is warranted.

Beyond plastic – Consumers prefer food packaging derived from genetically modified plants

The technology of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and especially genetically modified plants (GMP) applied in agriculture is a key element in a bioeconomy-based sustainability transition. However, consumers in many European countries allegedly disapprove of ‘green biotechnology’. Drawing on innovation adoption and risk perception literature, we explore the acceptance of GMP-based food packaging. Fossil-fuel-based production and plastic waste have become a major concern in many societies, and GMP-based technologies might offer solutions. Taking fully degradable material based on GMP as an example to replace conventional plastic in many applications, we present new insights into the GMP debate using a choice-based conjoint analysis in four European countries. Our results show that GMP-based packaging material is preferred to conventional plastic packaging in all countries. We present implications for research policies.

A Novel Framework of Public Risk Assessment Using an Integrated Approach Based on AHP and Psychometric Paradigm

Understanding how the public perceives various risks and hazards associated with our well-being and health is crucial for governments and policymakers. The present research aimed to assess the public perception of various risks and hazards associated with well-being and health. The study combined two well-known risk assessment approaches: the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) and the psychometric paradigm. Seven risk attributes were chosen from the risk perception literature to evaluate 27 risks and hazard activities using a survey questionnaire developed based on the psychometric paradigm literature. The collected data were then analyzed using the AHP to determine the priority weight for each risk attribute. The results showed that the most crucial risk attribute was voluntariness of risk, followed by chronic catastrophic and newness of risk. Furthermore, the study found that natural hazards were ranked the highest, followed by refugee influx and fire hazards. In contrast, the mobile phone was perceived as posing the lowest type of risk. Policymakers can use these findings to develop effective and sustainable risk communication strategies to help the governments to inform and educate the public about potential risks, improve coordination among agencies and stakeholders, and enhance public trust in government decision making.

The tenacity of trust in petrochemical communities: Reckoning with risk on the Fawley Waterside (1997–2019)

Around the world, people living close to polluting industries have different perceptions of the risks of toxic exposure, ranging from anger to acceptance to denial. We draw attention to a case with relatively high levels of social trust, but also relatively high levels of risk perception: the communities living adjacent to the Fawley (UK) oil refinery and petrochemical complex, a site that has been operated by Esso since the early 1950s.Our findings are based on a novel comparative analysis of two qualitative studies of local risk perceptions in Fawley conducted more than two decades apart in 1997 and 2019, incorporating focus group and individual interviews with residents, alongside documentary analysis and stakeholder interviews. Perceptions of risk and trust in the local polluting industry have fluctuated over the years, with unease never far from the surface as industrial employment has slowly contracted. Yet overall, the picture in 2019 was not too dissimilar from that in 1997: while community–industry relations were strained amidst periodic risk incidents and a sense of decline, a cautious sense of trust in the polluting enterprise had endured, based on a delicate balance of heritage, risk, and recognition. We draw attention to the residents’ careful reckoning with risks over time and the tenacity of social trust as an act of negotiation that took risk into account but also included other important factors such as recognition and reciprocity. Local risk perceptions in Fawley are closely bound up with the residents’ shared industrial heritage and enduring perceptions of Esso as a ‘good neighbour’. Our longitudinal analysis allowed us to reflect on changes over time in Fawley, providing greater temporal depth to the risk perception literature.

Resources and Risks: Perceptions on the Application of Sewage Sludge on Agricultural Land in Sweden, a Case Study

To spread or not to spread sewage sludge on agricultural land in Sweden remains the subject of a highly polarized debate among different stakeholders in the Swedish agricultural sector. This article presents insights on how stakeholders in Sweden see and explain the potentials and safety of spreading sewage sludge on agricultural land. This is done by drawing on risk perception literature and qualitative research methods. The findings reveal that fear of contamination and feeling of disgust are major deterrents of the use of sludge as an agricultural input. These are partly explained by unknowns and unfamiliarity about risks of unwanted substances in sludge. The study shows that while actors engaged in the practice amplify benefits of sludge as a resource and reiterate the need for emphasis on upstream measures including improved risk management systems, actors in charge of controlling toxins in society amplify actual and potential risks, highlight gaps in monitoring and minimizing risks, and would rather have a complete ban on the practice. This study highlights the complex combination of technical, environmental, socio-economic, psychological, and political factors influencing judgment and decision-making regarding sludge and its use as fertilizer in agriculture and concludes that the clash between facts and feelings which epitomizes the Swedish sludge debate may have implications for public trust and effective risk communication. As contribution to the Swedish sewage sludge debate, this study emphasizes that the benefits of sludge in agriculture is important but not enough to drive the practice to scale. It is even more important to improve understanding on the controllability and severity of risks in short and long-term.

Factors Influencing College Football Players’ Beliefs About Incurring Football-Related Dementia

Background:Football participation is associated with risks to acute and long-term health, including the possibility of incurring football-related dementia. Concerns have been raised regarding media coverage of these risks, which may have influenced athletes’ beliefs. However, little is known about football players’ views on football-related dementia. The risk-perception literature suggests that related risk perceptions and features of individual cognition, such as the ability to switch to reasoned, deliberative thinking, may influence individual perception of a long-term risk.Purpose:To evaluate factors influencing college football players’ belief that they are likely to incur football-related dementia in the future.Study Design:Cross-sectional study.Methods:Members of 4 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Power 5 Football teams participated in this survey-based study, providing responses to demographic, athletic, and risk-posture questions, and completed the cognitive reflection test. Logistic regressions were used to evaluate relationships between beliefs about football-related dementia and factors including athletic and demographic characteristics, football risk posture, health-risk posture, and cognitive reflection test score.Results:About 10% of the 296 participating athletes thought football-related dementia was likely to occur in their future. Skill players had lower odds than linemen of believing that football-related dementia was likely (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% CI, 0.14-0.89). For each additional suspected concussion in an athlete’s career, his odds of believing football-related dementia was likely increased by 24% (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.07-1.45). Acute and chronic football-related risk perceptions, as well as non–football-related health-risk perceptions, were positively associated with athletes’ belief that football-related dementia was likely. Higher cognitive reflection test scores, a measure of ability to switch to slow, deliberative thinking, was positively associated with odds of believing football-related dementia was likely (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.12-2.21).Conclusion:Some athletes view football as generally riskier, while others view football as generally lessri sky. These risk postures are informed by athletes’ concussion history, primary playing position, and ability to switch from fast, reactive thinking to slow, deliberative thinking. Ensuring that athletes are appropriately informed of the risks of participation is an ethical obligation of universities; sports medicine clinicians are appropriate facilitators of conversations about athletes’ health risks.

Modeling affective and cognitive responses to soft-target terrorism over time

There is great value in understanding the public’s reactions to terror attacks, though such reactions pose stark challenges for sound psychological investigation. Reactions to terrorism (as with any other threat) involve emotional and cognitive components, and the degree to which they reciprocally interact is not well understood. Furthermore, much of the literature on the public response to terrorism is based on the construct of “risk perception,” whose precise definition and correlates are still ambiguous. This study aimed to more clearly disentangle the various emotional and cognitive facets that predict individuals’ response to the terrorism threat in the United States. We employed a longitudinal survey from a representative U.S. sample (n = 1057) and measured attitudinal and cognitive reactions to the threat of terrorism at both time points. An autoregressive latent variable model was used to assess the stability of such variables over time, as well as their reciprocal effects on one another. Participants’ emotional and cognitive reactions to the threat of terrorism evolved independently over time, contrary to the predictions of some prior risk perception literature. Furthermore, measurements of risk perception depended mostly on prior estimates of attack likelihood, emphasizing the importance of individuals’ assessments of hazard probability in the risk judgment process.

Explaining public risk acceptance of a petrochemical complex: A delicate balance of costs, benefits, and trust

Communities adjacent to polluting industrial facilities understand and evaluate risk in often ambivalent and contextualized ways, not only balancing economic and environmental concerns but also reflecting cultural practices, social worldviews, and trust relationships. In this case study of the Antwerp petrochemical complex, the largest in Europe, a residents’ survey and interviews are used to examine how two middle-class communities coexist with the nearby petrochemical plants. The findings show that citizens in both communities are generally aware of the environmental impact and public health risk but are predominantly accepting of the industry. For both communities, the most important factor explaining acceptance is the perceived socio-economic benefit for the community, while a direct individual benefit in terms of employment does not play a significant role. In one community, risk acceptance is further strengthened by trust in companies’ risk management, while in the other community, trust in regulators is more critical. The different results for both communities stress the importance of a socio-cultural perspective on risk and underline the criticality of relationships of trust. The article further discusses the implications of these findings for environmental decision-making, considering the delicate balance and the significant minority of the population who is less accepting. The present study adds to the risk perception literature by providing one of the first quantitative analyses explaining industrial risk acceptance, instead of perception, using the increasingly contested petrochemical industry as an exemplary case.

The Perils of a Half-Built Bridge: Risk Perception, Shifting Majorities, and the Nuclear Power Debate

Much of the risk perception literature relies on the important but unstated assumption that manipulating public opinion to conform to scientific assessments of risk could help the public and, in turn, policymakers make better decisions about whether and how to regulate. This paper argues that the assumption fails in the context of certain multilayered risks, or risks that pose tiered policy choices - not just whether to regulate in the first instance, but how to respond to derivative risks arising from the first set of regulatory changes. Examining the debate about the role of nuclear power in the United States' approach to climate change, the paper observes that first- and second-tier risks often differ in character, or require different types of regulatory solution (market-based versus command-and-control). Due to these variations, the public may hold starkly different views about regulation of each tier, and those views may be differently - that is, differently susceptible to persuasion. In the context of the nuclear power debate, this tiering of opinion has perverse implications. The first-tier risks of nuclear power are those associated with individual reactors, including the risks of accident or terrorist attack; the second-tier risks are those associated with mining, transport, processing, storage, and disposal of radioactive materials. Recent work asserts that despite entrenched public fear of nuclear power, it may be possible to induce people to support construction of low-emissions reactors as a strategy for mitigating climate change. But even if policymakers could employ the risk education strategies discussed in the literature to shift public opinion in favor of economic incentives for nuclear reactor development, there is no reason to think such strategies would be equally effective at changing attitudes toward second-tier risks and the command-and-control regulations necessary to address them. To the contrary, many people would likely continue to oppose certain types of government action on these latter problems, even assuming the complete success of the hypothesized first-tier education strategy. As a result, the United States could find itself with a thriving nuclear power sector, but without the political will to address the grave collateral risks. These observations lead to two conclusions, one related to the nuclear power example, and one to risk regulation more broadly. First, differently sticky public attitudes toward first- and second-tier nuclear risks and their regulatory solutions may defeat any effort to respond to climate change by significantly and safely increasing U.S. reliance on nuclear power. Second, efforts to change public risk perceptions may not advance a regulatory agenda, and may even prove counterproductive. Specifically, where multiple risk layers exist, a successful first-tier education effort and consequent policy changes could create or expose second-tier risks that defy regulatory solution, leaving policymakers stranded at the abrupt and unexpected end of a half-built bridge. Depending on the gravity of the second-tier risks, this regulatory dead end could be one that neither policymakers nor the public would have chosen ex ante.

A survey-based assessment of perceived flood risk in urban areas of the United States

Abstract How people perceive the risks of climatic hazards is currently a major research thrust in the field of risk perception. In the wake of recent flood disasters in the United States (US) and globally, more researchers are investigating social vulnerabilities as well as the role of cognition in explaining risk perceptions. This study analyzed how people in the US perceive the risk (i.e., likelihood and seriousness) of flooding via a layered analysis that considered several plausible and intertwined lines of inquiry from the risk perception literature. We surveyed 9250 individuals within nine major urban areas, including the largest city and one smaller city in each region. The National Flood Hazard Layer product provided data for deriving their potential exposure to flood hazards. The analyses tested and confirmed several hypotheses drawn from Social Vulnerability Theory and from Protective Motivation Theory: characteristics associated with social vulnerability (older, female, race/ethnic minorities, low income), previous experiences with and awareness of flood news, and potential exposure to flood hazard (local fraction of flood prone area) significantly increased risk perceptions of floods. Self-confidence in ability to cope with a future flood disaster lowered risk perceptions. This study is the first snapshot of flood risk perceptions nationwide in the US. It points to needs for more theoretically-driven research about flood risk perceptions and behaviors, flood risk communication within local communities, and more social and economic support for vulnerable populations.

“Listen, did you hear…?” A structural equation model explaining online information sharing on the risks of nanotechnology in food

In order to encourage consumer informed decision making, it is in the interest of risk communicators in the food industry and authorities to facilitate consumer risk information sharing. Focusing on the risks of nanotechnology in food products, this study aimed to develop and test a model that describes the processes that result in the online sharing of risk information on food products. The model was based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Risk Information Seeking and Processing model and the broader risk perception and communication literature. A cross-sectional online survey has been carried out among a representative sample of adults >18 years of age in the Netherlands (n = 511). Attitude, self-efficacy, and injunctive and descriptive subjective norms in relation to information sharing were measured, as were information need, information seeking, trust, risk perception and anxiety in relation to the application of nanotechnology in food products. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to test the determinants of information sharing behaviour, and their relationships. Results showed that the intention to share information about the risks of nanotechnology in food online was medium-low. The hypothesized model as a whole fitted the data and nine of the fourteen path coefficients were highly significant. Results showed injunctive norms to be the main determinant of information sharing. Attitude and information seeking also contributed to the explanation of the variance in information sharing. Results are put into the perspective of relevant theoretical viewpoints and empirical findings. Implications for food risk communication and the facilitation of informed decision making are discussed.

‘Real without being concrete’: the ontology of public concern and its significance for the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF)

Public concern is a pivotal notion in the risk perception, communication and management literature. It is, for example, a central concept with regard to the social amplification of risk, and as a justification for policy attention. Despite its ubiquity, the notion of public concern remains a ‘black box’ presenting a poorly understood state of affairs as a reified matter-of-fact. Paying attention to the deployment and metrics of public concern, and the work it is required to do, will enhance the power of approaches to understanding risk, and policymaking. Thus, the broad purpose of this paper is to unpack the notion of public concern by adopting an ontological yet critical perspective, drawing on a range of literature that considers ontology. We reflect on how publics and public concern have been conceptualised with regard to the dichotomies of individual/social and private/public, given that they imply different levels and dimensions of concern. We draw on empirical work that illuminates the assessment and measurement of public concern and how the public have responded to risk events. Considering public concern through an ontological lens affords a means of drawing renewed critical attention to objects that might otherwise appear finished or ready-made.

Perceptions of terror stricken tourism destinations

ABSTRACTIn the wake of global safety and security concerns, it is important to understand and document perceptions held by tourists so as to inform destination recovery efforts post terror attack. This exploratory study employs focus groups to examine American millennials’ perceptions of risk and their intentions to travel to terror-stricken destinations, specifically Nice, France. Perceived risks related to general international travel articulated by participants included, health, theft, and safety concerns. Participants indicated that they were willing to travel to Nice, post terror attack, with the exception of one group that would choose to travel elsewhere in France. Participants’ rank ordering of the sources they would consult during the decision making process for travel to a terror stricken destination included: family, people with lived experience of the destination, and government. This paper contributes to risk perception literature, particularly scholarship on the nexus between terrorism and tourism.

The role of attitude and attitude ambivalence in acceptance of the cancer risk associated with red meat

Many cancers are linked to varying degrees with common lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking and diet, and are therefore partially preventable. Building on existing risk perception literature, this article uses the case of red meat consumption to examine the effect of people’s attitudes and attitude ambivalence on health risk perceptions where there is some uncertainty about the risk. Data was obtained from an opportunity sample of community-dwelling adults (n = 167) using an online survey. The survey included information from a recent press release on the cancer risk associated with red meat consumption (‘probably carcinogenic’) as well as measures of attitude to red meat, attitude ambivalence, ambiguity aversion, information evaluation and acceptance of cancer risk. Participants who were more inclined to accept the risk of cancer linked to red meat tended to have a more negative attitude to red meat, higher attitude ambivalence, more favourable evaluation of the information provided, lower ambiguity aversion and lower red meat consumption; they also tended to be of older age. Attitude was a weaker predictor of risk perception among participants who were highly ambivalent. This, coupled with the finding that people with an ambivalent attitude to red meat evaluated the risk information more favourably and were more convinced that red meat can cause cancer, suggests that attitude ambivalence may play a more important role in risk perception than previously thought. These findings are discussed in the context of strategies for dealing with risk when drawing on rational and non-rational logics of handling evidence.

Genetic engineering, genetic modification, or agricultural biotechnology: does the term matter?

The risk perception and communication literature appears to use terms such as genetic engineering (GE), genetic modification (GM), and agricultural biotechnology (agbiotech) almost interchangeably. The present research therefore seeks to compare the effect of these three terms on consumers’ cognitive, affective and behavioral component of attitude. The variables under investigation are consumers’ perceptions of risk, benefits, personal control over technology, support and promotion of the development of technology, dread, labeling, and purchase intentions. The study draws on the equivalency framing literature in conducting two question wording experiments whereby participants are randomly assigned to receive a version that uses just one of the three different terms. The first experiment found that the framing effect of food technology as either GE or GM may be contingent on source of information. When the technology was framed as GE and the information source was a consumer organization, respondents reported higher perceived personal control over the technology compared to when the information source was government, newspaper, or no source. Therefore, framing food as GE may be a somewhat beneficial for those who seek to promote the technology while framing the technology as GM might help those who oppose the technology. The second experiment found that using the terms agbiotech and GE were associated with higher perceived benefits, positive feelings, and purchase intention compared to GM. The ‘agbiotech’ term garnered the most relative support for the technology. Implications are discussed.

The Role of Risk Proximity in the Beliefs and Behaviors Related to Mosquito-Borne Diseases: The Case of Chikungunya in French Guiana.

.Human behaviors are increasingly recognized to play a key role in the spread of infectious diseases. Although a set of social and cognitive determinants has been consistently found to affect the adoption of health protective behaviors aiming to control and prevent a variety of infections, little is currently known about the ecological drivers of these behaviors in epidemic settings. In this article, we took advantage of the outbreak of chikungunya, a reemerging mosquito-borne disease, that occurred in French Guiana in 2014–15 to test empirically the assumption proposed by Zielinski-Gutierrez and Hayden that the proximity of the disease and perceptions of the natural environment may considerably shape public response to an emerging health threat. To achieve this, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among high school students of the region (N = 1462) at an early stage of the epidemic. Surprisingly, spatial analysis of the collected data leads to counterintuitive results as the participants who lived in the most affected area expressed less concern about the disease and practiced preventive behaviors less frequently than did other participants. These paradoxical results may be attributed to the possible activation of risk denial processes which have previously been observed in the risk perception literature, and described by several social and psychological defensiveness theories.