Risk managers continue to search for effective methods to disseminate risk information to the public. "Despite agreement that the way information is presented matters, there is no clear consensus in the literature about what specific features communicate risk concepts well" (Johnson, Fisher, Smith, & Desvousges, 1988, p. 30). Similarly, "while risk communication among technical people may be more or less straightforward (for example, interagency dialogue), risk communication with the public remains quite elusive" (Devgun, 1991, p. 7). Much research has gone into establishing how individuals perceive risks, how people make decisions regarding risks, and how risks are quantified by experts (e.g., Douglas, 1985; Kishchuk, 1987; Slavic, 1987). However, little has been done to develop a theory of how to effectively communicate risks to the public in a manner that (a) motivates appropriate risk-reduction behaviours, as well as (b) prevents panic and/or outrage among those faced with environmental and/or technological risks. The goals of the present work are to provide theoretical and methodological guidelines for developing effective risk-management messages that result in appropriate public action. This piece is intended to help both risk managers, who must inform and educate the public about environmental and technological risks, as well as public health practitioners, who must persuade people to either reduce or engage in certain behaviours in order to decrease health risks. A useful framework for conceptualizing and developing messages aimed at managing risks is offered by the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), a recently developed fear appeal theory that integrates previous theoretical approaches and is based on 40 years of empirical research. Following is a description of how the EPPM can be used to explain public responses to risk messages. Then, two pilot studies illustrating how existing audience perceptions can be used in the design and generation of effective risk-management messages. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting