 Public trust in sources of information about radiation risks in the UKStephen Hunt and Lynn J. Frewer Journal of Risk Research, 1999, vol. 2, issue 2, 167-180 Abstract: Perceptions of trust have been identified as important in the risk communication process. This research is concerned with establishing the degree of trust non-experts in radiation place in various sources of information about different radiation hazards. Participants were asked directly about the degree to which they would trust information about radiation risks from a variety of sources, including a totally fictitious source included as a control. They were also asked about the degree to which they believed each source had a vested interest in misinforming the public about the risks from radiation, and the degree of knowledge they believed each source had about the risks from radiation. The results indicated that while perceptions of 'vested interest' and 'degree of knowledge' are important elements in determining levels of trust, neither by itself is sufficient to guarantee high degrees of trust in any given source. The fictitious source received a very high degree of knowledge rating. These findings are discussed in terms of the impact the name of a source alone can have on perceptions of trust in a risk information source, and implications for developing effective risk communication about radiation risks. Date: 1999 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:jriskr:v:2:y:1999:i:2:p:167-180 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article Journal of Risk Research is currently edited by Bryan MacGregor More articles in Journal of Risk Research from Taylor & Francis Journals |
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