Psychological drivers of individual differences in risk perception: A systematic case study focusing on 5G

Abstract

What drives people’s perceptions of risks and benefits associated with novel technologies? Although various psychological models of risk perception have been proposed, it has not yet been systematically tested how well such models can account for interindividual differences in large population samples, as well as for intraindividual variability that may occur across time. This article capitalizes on the current deployment of 5G—the latest generation of cellular network technology—as a topical case study to model the psychological drivers of risk perception and its associations with policy-related attitudes (e.g., voting intention). Study 1 collected a representative population sample (N = 2,919) to directly compare three psychological models of risk perception, finding that predictors such as trust, feelings of dread, and objective knowledge provide a good account for interindividual differences in perceived risk and benefit, which in turn were strongly associated with policy-related attitudes. Study 2 corroborated these findings in a cross-sectional sample (N = 960); moreover, in a longitudinal sample (N = 780), variations in the same psychological drivers were also systematically associated with intraindividual changes in perceived risk and benefit—and consequently, with policy-related attitudes. In sum, this article provides a systematic investigation of the drivers of risk perception at the level of individual participants, and corroborates the important role of risk perception in shaping policy-related attitudes.

Draft Chapter – Science and the Swiss Public: Science-related Perceptions and Sources of Information in Switzerland

“…Surveys have included this only selectively: The Science Barometer Switzerland captured support of selected disciplines and the Wellcome Global Monitor 2018 assessed attitudes towards health professionals and vaccines. Other surveys have measured attitudes towards bio-and gene technology (Bonfadelli & Meier, 2010;Eurobarometer, 2010a;NFP 59, 2013), animal testing (Eurobarometer, 2001(Eurobarometer, , 2005, nuclear energy (Kristiansen, Bonfadelli, & Kovic, 2016), environmental issues (Diekmann, Meyer, Mühlemann, & Diem, 2009;gfs-zürich, 2018), 5G cellular network technology (Frey, 2020;Schanne, 2003), innovation (Seidl, Wirth, & Krütli, 2019), as well as adolescents' perceptions of STEM fields (Bührer et al, 2014). Continuous national surveys on issues like a+ • 11 June 2020 5/18 health and medicine and general attitudes towards technology, among others, are missing in Switzerland, and the number of academic analyses and publications is limited compared to the available data.…”