Available via HathiTrust.org., Online via keyword search of UI Library eCatalog, Case study of 126 residents from a metropolitan area who, during the 1981-82 Mediterranean Fruitfly Crisis, were undergoing exposure to aerial spraying with a pesticide. Findings exemplified the difficulties facing decision makers and the public in uncertain risk situations such as this, as well as the politicization of risk.
22 pages., Online via UI electronic subscription, Researchers combined recent national survey data and media reports to quantitatively examine the effects of food scandals and media exposure on food safety risk. Findings suggesed hat media reported food scandals are not significantly related to public concern about food safety risk, suggesting that food risk perceptions may be nationwide rather than region specific. Findings also suggested that more educated citizens with more media exposure were more concerned about food safety risk.
27 pages, via online journal, This study explored whether satire (an emotional blend of humor/indignation) can minimize the emotional tradeoffs researchers have documented for humorous appeals about climate change. Using a sample of U.S. young adults, we conducted a 2 (humor: present/absent) × 2 (indignation: present/absent) + 1 (control) experiment in which we manipulated a climate change segment from Jimmy Kimmel Live! Our evidence suggests that it is possible for a late-night host to affect young adults’ climate change risk perception and behavioral intentions under certain conditions. Moderation analyses indicated that avoiding humor helped close the partisan gap in risk perception between Republicans and Democrats.
Examines the role of trust in shaping public knowledge about, risk perception of, and protective behaviours resulting from this product tampering incident in Xi'an, China.
15 pages., "Images with a negative valence trounced those with a positive tone in frequency and intensity, a finding that favors the more vocal opponents of genetic engineering."