Factors influencing acquisition of ecological and exposure information about hazards and risks from contaminated sites

Abstract

Considerable research indicates that a wide range of socio-economic factors influence attitudes and perceptions about environmental hazards and risks, and that social trust in those who manage a hazard is strongly correlated to judgements about risks and benefits. We suggest that there are three steps that lead to environmental risk perceptions: acquisition of information, interpretation and synthesis of different pieces of information, and understanding of that information in light of previous knowledge, perceptions, or attitudes. In this study we presented 211 college students in the sciences and non-sciences with ecological and exposure information using text, tables and maps to examine the factors that affect information acquisition and interpretation concerning ecological issues at a fictitious hazardous waste site. Students were allowed about an hour to read the materials and answer questions. The percent of students answering each question correctly varied from 4 to 82%, indicating that some questions were extremely difficult to answer. We attributed these differences to variations in the number of places information was presented (in text, tables, maps, or a combination) and the complexity of the information (how many pieces of information were required to answer the question correctly). The correlation between the number of students answering each question correctly and these combined measures (frequency, complexity) was -0.72. Thus, although there were differences in accuracy concerning ecological information as presented in this study, the major differences were accounted for by how the information was presented, and how much information was required. This suggests that risk communicators should carefully determine which ecological information is critical for the target audience, and ensure that it is presented several times (in different forms). That a lower percentage of people correctly answered questions that required synthesizing several pieces of information suggests that this complexity should be reduced where possible, or that the pieces of information should be tied clearly to the conclusion. Self-declaration of effort and perceptions of safety of the site did not markedly influence the relationship between accuracy, difficulty of finding information, and complexity of information. Other possible confounding variables (i.e., science vs non-science major) only accounted for about 27% of the variation in student's overall score on ecological questions; age, ethnicity, and gender did not enter as significant variables. We cannot manage environmental hazards with appropriate stakeholder input unless we understand how to present environmental information to achieve a full understanding. Protection of human health and the environment requires that people understand ecological and exposure information, particularly on buffer lands.

Consumer knowledge in pro-environmental behavior

“…As hypothesized, the study results also underline the importance of factual environmental knowledge in order to carry out pro-environmental behaviors through increased environmental risk perception. According to Burger et al (2008), an individual's risk perception accumulates through different steps, such as acquisition of information, elucidation, and synthesis of various information related to subject matter, and understanding of information considering previous knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions. Other than the direct influence of environmental factual knowledge on risk perception, this approach also explains the relationship between subjective environmental knowledge and environmental risk perception since it provides synthesis of various information related to environmental problems.…”

Public Attitudes towards Birds and Private Forest Land Conservation

“…The information used to inform perceptions of risk may not even be about birds [53]. It could be personal experiences with declines in environmental quality and associated health impacts that uphold people's empathy and moral reasoning for protecting birds [54].…”

Charting the Course: How Does Information about Sea Level Rise Affect the Willingness to Migrate?

“…20,21 For example, studies show that information uptake is improved by presenting it in various formats (such as text, table, and map), instead of presenting the information in a single format. 22 Some scholars report that maps, including flood risk maps, are perceived as more informative and persuasive than text-only descriptions. 1 However, growing evidence from the climate information literature shows that additional information, even when well presented, does not always lead individuals to update their beliefs with the new information.…”

“…Our study contributes to existing research on climate migration in at least three ways. First, we bring the disaster risk communication [20][21][22] and the climate migration 30,35,36 literature together by highlighting that information is an important factor in people's decision whether to migrate in the face of climate risks. Second, whereas previous studies have mainly explored such effects among affected communities in advanced industrialized countries, we investigate the effect of risk communication in Vietnam-one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change impacts.…”