8. The psychometric model is cognitive
in its conception and flavor--risks are indeed
perceived
according to this tradition, which coined
the very term "risk perception." Here, risk perception
is a function of properties of the hazards. Even if
many more properties than real risk are considered in
the model, a stimulus-response kind of thinking is
still behind it. Cultural Theory, on the other hand, is very
different. Here, risk perception is a reflection of the
social context an individual finds him- or herself in.
The reason why this approach fails is probably that
the social context is construed in a very abstract, farfetched
manner, and that social context per se by no
means is the sole determinant of risk perception, if it
has any influence at all, which remains to be seen. If attitude is a crucial factor in risk perception,
and the present results suggest this, then "perception"
is largely an expression of specific values (not
general; see Section VI).ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This is a study within the CEC project RISKPERCOM
(Contract Fl4PCT950016), supported also
by the Swedish Council for Planning and Coordination
of Research (FRN), the Swedish Council for
Humanistic and Social Science Research (HSFR), the
Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI), and
the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute (SSI).Several
factors influence it, but some of the models suggested
for risk perception have failed to explain more than a
rather small fraction of it. Some investigators have
apparently been satisfied with statistical significance
as a criterion of validity, but that is a counterproductive
strategy.(59)
Others have presented seemingly persuasive
results, but they have been based on averages
and therefore quite misleading as to the explanatory
power of the models.Also other
components enter-- risk sensitivity and specific fear.3.