Page - 205 - in Freshwater Microplastics - Emerging Environmental Contaminants?

2 TheTheoryofRiskPerception Even thoughBeck’sbookon“risk society”mightbe thebestknowndescriptionof the importance of risk perception, the scientific theory predatesBeck’s book.One earlier example is that of Slovic et al. [6], who conducted a study where they evaluated several drivers for societal riskperception.Oneof their conclusionswas that thegreater a risk isperceived tobe, thegreater is thepublicdemandforaction [6]. The aim of the study was to explain why some hazards were perceived as extreme and others caused less concern, despite inconsistencies in the respective expertopinions [6].Thisworkbuilt uponearlier studies,whereStarr [7] found that risk seemed to be easily accepted if it was associated with benefits and had a voluntary nature. Risk of death in a traffic accident is a classic example of such acceptable risk. In this paperwewill distinguish eight drivers for riskperception (Table1).The first driver that frames riskperception isvoluntariness (driver 1).Aperson ismore likely to accept a given risk if the risk exposure takes place on a voluntary basis compared to an imposed risk.Risks that are perceived to be uncontrollable gener- ally cause greater concern (driver 2: control). The risk associatedwith flying as a passenger in an airplane, for example, often causes more concern than highway driving in passenger cars. A third driver (driver 3: knowledge) is the degree of familiarityassociatedwith the risk.Aknownandquantifiable risk (suchas the risk ofgettingcancer fromsmoking) isoftenmoreeasilyacceptable than the riskposed from an unknown entity. The timing (driver 4) of the risk is also important to its perception.Personsexposed toagiven riskaremore likely toaccept the risk if it is imposedgraduallyover time than if the risk is imposed instantaneously.Riskswith Table 1 Eightmaindrivers for risk perception Drivers for risk perception Explanation 1 Voluntariness If the exposure to the risk factor is voluntary, it ismore likely to be accepted compared to a superimposed risk 2 Control If theriskisperceivedtobeuncontrollable, it isviewedasmoresevere 3 Knowledge Aknown risk is perceivedmore acceptable than anunknownand unfamiliar risk 4 Timing If a hazardhas instant anddisastrous potential, it is perceived as a higher risk, thanhazards,whichpose gradual risk over time 5 Severity Greater perceived risk is correlatedwith howbig apart of the popu- lation that is perceived as being at risk 6 Benefits Risks that are associatedwith perceivedbenefits are oftendeemed more acceptable than riskwithout anyobvious advantage 7 Novelty Risks fromnovel entities are generally perceived asmore risky than existing risks 8 Tangibility Ariskthat ismoretangible isperceivedasmoresevere thanarisk that is abstract and elusive Table constructed after [6, 8] RiskPerceptionofPlastic Pollution: Importance ofStakeholder Involvement. . . 205