Risk Perception and Communication in the Porto Region (PR), Portugal

Abstract

Porto region (PR) is located on the northern coast of Portugal characterised by a complex set of risks occurrence. With the purpose of understanding what factors determine risk perception, a questionnaire entitled “Risk Perception in PR” was applied to 244 subjects. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. The results indicated that certain socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents’ education and age correlated with risk perception. The study also shows statistical differences between the groups in relation to how the risk is communicated. These findings can help decision makers to improve effective risk communication policies and risk reduction strategies.