Social Theories of Risk Perception: At Once Indispensable and Insufficient

Abstract

This article provides a critical comparative review of Ulrich Beck's and Mary Douglas's social theories of risk. The author is particularly concerned to highlight the partiality of their favoured renditions of the social reality of risk perception in relation to the accumulated evidence of empirical research. Their contrasting (and opposing) conceptions of the social processes through which people may negotiate the meaning of `hazard' in terms of `risk' are presented as ideal-types which are both indispensable and insufficient for explaining the cultural complexity of this phenomenon. Moreover, insofar as the lived experience of complexity may be made the object of sociological concern, it is suggested that we might be in a better position to evaluate the cultural significance of risk as a product of this experience.

Comparing the relationship between knowledge and support for hydraulic fracturing between residents of the United States and the United Kingdom

“…[13,26,36,37,55], but instead are culturally and socially rooted, noting the importance of social agreements in shaping what risks are selected for attention, but also the importance of social context in shaping these risks. In moving towards what becomes their "contextualist" argument, Sturgis and Allum [47] p. 57 nicely articulate that [although these] "criticisms [of the deficit model] are undoubtedly in many ways valid, they do not, in our view, sufficiently problematize the deficit model to justify scrapping it entirely.…”

Mary Douglas, risk and accounting failures

“…It would be unrealistic to expect support from another individual if failure occurs and ill-health, for example, would be seen as a weakness. Consequently, Wilkinson (2001) perceives this culture as supporting "social institutions which enshrine the goal of personal acquisition as their supreme value" (Wilkinson, 2001, p. 5). The individualist worldview of risk is that it is not to be regarded as exclusively negative as there is also an upside to risk that resides in the market opportunities it can present.…”

“…Consequently authority is respected, and traditions and customs an important part of organizational or institutional life (Wilkinson, 2001). Delinquency and unconventional behaviour are, however, unacceptable and systems of justice will have established clear rules for responding firmly to any such cases.…”

How to Shape Climate Risk Policies After the Paris Agreement? The Importance of Perceptions as a Driver for Climate Risk Management

“…In part, this is due to the method, as risk perception is commonly measured through surveys, which represent a snapshot in time, rather than how people respond to risk in a social context, or to repeated exposure (Renn, 1998). Furthermore, researchers sometimes fail to distinguish between voluntary and involuntary risk (Starr, 1969;Wilkinson, 2001). Results show the strength of the risk perception and preparedness relationship varied with hazard type and preparedness activities.…”