Perceptions of Risk: Paradox and Challenge

Abstract

Perceived risk can be characterized as a battleground marked by strong and conflicting views about the nature and seriousness of the risks of modern life. The paradox for those who study risk perception is that, as people in many industrialized nations have become healthier and safer on average, they have become more—rather than less—concerned about risk, and they feel increasingly vulnerable to the risks of modern life (see, for example, Figure 1). The stakes are high! These perceptions and the opposition to technology that accompanies them have puzzled and frustrated industrialists and regulators in many nations and have led numerous observers to argue that the apparent pursuit of a "zero-risk society" threatens those nation's political and economic stability (see Figure 2). Aaron Wildavsky, a political scientist, commented as follows on this state of affairs.