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Science 7 October 1988:
Vol. 242. no. 4875, pp. 44 - 49
DOI: 10.1126/science.3175635
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Articles

Science, Vol 242, Issue 4875, 44-49
Copyright © 1988 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Perceived risk, real risk: social science and the art of probabilistic risk assessment

WR Freudenburg

Department of Rural Sociology, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706.

Risk assessment is commonly seen as the domain of physical and biological sciences, with social scientists focusing instead on risk management and communication. This division is unnecessary, and it may lead to errors in risk assessments. Social science input is needed for more accurate calculations of risk consequences and probabilities and for identifying potential biases created by certain risk assessment procedures, as well as in analyzing and explaining public responses to risk. Findings, moreover, suggest that the dichotomy between "real" and "perceived" risk is less "real" than is often assumed, particularly in cases involving controversial technologies.


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