Environmental Risks and Public Perceptions

Beck, Ulrich; Kropp, Cordula

doi:10.4135/9781848607873.n41

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…These range from psychological approaches, via anthropological and sociological approaches (such as cultural theory and risk society theory) to more interdisciplinary approaches. Beck and Kropp (2007) are correct in stating that risk, risk perception, and the social meaning of risk are closely interwoven and need to be discussed together. However, this study has a much more modest goal: to gain initial knowledge of how much well-educated Chinese know about environmental risks and their management and their attitudes towards the existing environmental risk management system in China.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides these institutional factors, public participation and involvement are also affected by public perceptions and understanding of risks. People respond to risks or hazards in ways consistent with their awareness, perceptions, and definitions of that risk (Beck and Kropp 2007;De Marchi 2003;Fiorino 1990;McDaniels, Axelrod, and Slovic 1995;Slimakand and Dietz 2006). While these factors are not longer considered key to determining individual behavior or action as initially conceptualized in attitude-behavior models (de Krom and Mol 2010), awareness and perception do matter (Carbone, Hallstrom, and Smith 2006;Mileti 1993;Sjoberg 2000;Slovic 1987; Willis and DeKay 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Public perceptions of environmental risk in China

Zhang

Mol

et al. 2013

Journal of Risk Research

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China, as a 'double risk' society, is in urgent need for effective environmental risk management systems. Compared with other risks, man-made environmental risks have not been given due weight. Public awareness and perceptions of environmental risks are crucial in all phases of effective risk management. However, little is known about public perceptions of environmental risks in China. To contribute to better understanding of public perception of environmental risk, a questionnaire survey was conducted among university students in Beijing, who represent a group with high level of education and a generally high sensitivity to new information. The results show that even this group has limited knowledge about environmental risks and current risk management systems. Further studies are needed to understand the social construction of environmental risks in China and to seek ways to involve the Chinese public in emergency response and risk management.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public perceptions of environmental risk in China

Zhang

Mol

et al. 2013

Journal of Risk Research

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“…This is consistent with Becks' interpretation of how the welfare state's “safety systems” have been weakened by increasing uncertainty about causality, blame, and liability in the face of new (global) threats. Following this interpretation, the insecurity derived from techno‐economic progress has been translated into “manufactured uncertainties” (Beck and Kropp 2007). Such manufactured and ruling uncertainty relies on persuasive methods (e.g., through politicized representations of conflictual science revolving around the known, unknown, and distant possibility of damage) to determine whether the probability of accidents associated with risks is acceptable.…”

Section: Coverage Of the Political And Economic Dimensionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between “Empowering” and “Blaming” Mechanisms in Developing Political/Economic Responses to Climate Change

Ruiu

Рагнедда

2023

Sociological Inquiry

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This conceptual paper reviews four dimensions of the climate change (CC) debate concerning perception, framing, and political and economic dimensions of CC. It attempts to address the question posed by sociological research as to what can be done to reduce the social forces driving CC. In doing so, it attempts to uncover mechanisms that delay or prevent the social change required to combat CC. Such mechanisms call into question the Ecological Modernization Theory's assumption that modern societies embrace environmental sustainability with no radical intervention to change the social, political, and economic order. It specifically considers how the representation of CC as a distant phenomenon, in both temporal and physical terms, might contribute to social disengagement. A reflection on the interdependencies among science, political economy, media, and individual perceptions guides this paper. All these social forces also shape the CC discourse in diverse ways according to the evolution of the phenomenon over time (in scientific, but also in political and economic terms) and in relation to its spatial dimension (global/national/local). The variety of climate discourses contributes to increasing political uncertainty; however, this is not the only factor that generates confusion around the CC. Multiple and contrasting information might trigger a "blaming/ empowering game" that works at various levels. This mechanism simultaneously promotes the necessity for sustainable development and perpetuates "business as usualoriented" practices. Implementing sustainable development is therefore constantly undermined by a difficulty in identifying "heroes" and "devils" in the context of CC.

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“…Power relations partly determine different stakeholders' responses regardless of them acting or not. At the same time, the conflict itself and the derived SIs can transform power relations and produce new empowerment and disempowerment processes [10,58,59].…”

Section: Social Innovation and Socio-environmental Conflictsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Conflicts and Social Innovation on the Balearic Islands (Spain)

Savall

2022

Sustainability

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New environmental conflicts arise all the time as a consequence of the industrial economy and economic growth. The search for new energy and new materials jeopardizes the margin to promote sustainable development in many local communities. In this paper, we examine a conflict related to hydrocarbons projects in the Balearic Sea (Spain) from the social innovation perspective. This novel approach allows us to focus on how socially innovative responses can be triggered by environmental threats. A set of mixed methods (qualitative analysis and social network analysis) are implemented to study the emergence and development of Alianza Mar Blava in Ibiza–Formentera. This is an initiative that successfully activates new social relations and new collective practices that contribute to transform the environmental conflict. In this study, we highlight the strategic factors that allow the conflict to be transformed as well as other social processes that ultimately promote local sustainable development beyond the conflict.

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Environmental Risks and Public Perceptions

Cited by 14 publications

References 22 publications

Public perceptions of environmental risk in China

Public perceptions of environmental risk in China

Between “Empowering” and “Blaming” Mechanisms in Developing Political/Economic Responses to Climate Change

Environmental Conflicts and Social Innovation on the Balearic Islands (Spain)

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