scholarly journals The tenacity of trust in petrochemical communities: Reckoning with risk on the Fawley Waterside (1997–2019)

2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862110453
Author(s):  
David Brown ◽  
Alice Mah ◽  
Gordon Walker

Around the world, people living close to polluting industries have different perceptions of the risks of toxic exposure, ranging from anger to acceptance to denial. We draw attention to a case with relatively high levels of social trust, but also relatively high levels of risk perception: the communities living adjacent to the Fawley (UK) oil refinery and petrochemical complex, a site that has been operated by Esso since the early 1950s. Our findings are based on a novel comparative analysis of two qualitative studies of local risk perceptions in Fawley conducted more than two decades apart in 1997 and 2019, incorporating focus group and individual interviews with residents, alongside documentary analysis and stakeholder interviews. Perceptions of risk and trust in the local polluting industry have fluctuated over the years, with unease never far from the surface as industrial employment has slowly contracted. Yet overall, the picture in 2019 was not too dissimilar from that in 1997: while community–industry relations were strained amidst periodic risk incidents and a sense of decline, a cautious sense of trust in the polluting enterprise had endured, based on a delicate balance of heritage, risk, and recognition. We draw attention to the residents’ careful reckoning with risks over time and the tenacity of social trust as an act of negotiation that took risk into account but also included other important factors such as recognition and reciprocity. Local risk perceptions in Fawley are closely bound up with the residents’ shared industrial heritage and enduring perceptions of Esso as a ‘good neighbour’. Our longitudinal analysis allowed us to reflect on changes over time in Fawley, providing greater temporal depth to the risk perception literature.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredy S. Monge-Rodríguez ◽  
Andy Alvarado- Yepez

<p><strong>Abstract:</strong></p><p><em>Introduction and theoretical background: </em>The increase in extreme events as a result of climate change has serious consequences for the world (Bevacqua, Yu, & Zhang, 2018; Clark et al., 1998), with higher impacts on Andean communities, which are more vulnerable to its effects due to the scarce resources they have to cope with its effects. The study on local risk perception, as a strategy that allows people to be more aware of the hazard and therefore be more willing to deal with the eventuality of the hazard (Lopez and Marvan, 2018). Our study analyses experience with extreme events: severe storms, avalanches, droughts and floods. Furthermore, we analyze how experiences with extreme weather can be related to risk perception, communication, and adaptive behaviours.</p><p><em>Methods:</em> After a thorough pilot. We selected two interviewers, from the same community. To comply with COVID-19 health protocols, the questionnaire was implemented online. All questions were presented in a closed format. The total number of participants (N=200) belonged to the Phinaya community located at the bottom of the Quelccaya glacier (5650 mamsl). All gave their consent to participate voluntarily in the study.</p><p><em>Results:</em> 86% indicated having experienced drought or water shortage in the last 5 years between 1 and more than 3 times, 14% did not. Then 59% indicated that they had experienced storms between 1 and more than 3 times in the last 5 years, 41% indicated that they had not experienced any. Regarding floods, 21.5% indicated that they had experienced them, while 78.5% had not. 34.9 % indicated that they had experienced avalanches. 97.5% said they were very concerned about climate change. 82% received information on storms, 90% received information on droughts, 82% received information on floods, 51% received information on avalanches. There is a relationship between people who have had experiences with severe storms and those who have experienced landslides and avalanches. Regarding the perception of risk, we found differences between men and women. No clear relationship was identified between risk perception and extreme events. It is observed that communications about droughts influenced negatively on risk perception, the other extreme events did not show significant relations. Finally, with respect to adaptation behaviours, we found a positive relationship between experiences with storms, and perceptions of risk of climate change, greater perception of risk, greater willingness to develop adaptive behaviours.</p><p><em>Conclusions: </em>Most people have been exposed to more than one type of extreme events such as droughts and storms. This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationships between public perception of climate change in Andean communities and corroborates the important role of communication and adaptive behaviors in the context of risk perceptions.</p>


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2222
Author(s):  
Meredith Chapman ◽  
Matthew Thomas ◽  
Kirrilly Thompson

The equestrian industry reports high rates of serious injuries, illness and fatalities when compared to other high-risk sports and work environments. To address these ongoing safety concerns, a greater understanding of the relationship between human risk perception, values and safety behaviours is required. This paper presents results from an international survey that explored relationships between a respondents’ willingness to take risk during daily activities along with, their perceptions of risk and behaviours during horse-related interactions. Respondents’ comments around risk management principles and safety-first inspirations were also analysed. We examined what humans think about hazardous situations or activities and how they managed risk with suitable controls. Analysis identified three important findings. First, safe behaviours around horses were associated with safety training (formal and/or informal). Second, unsafe behaviours around horses were associated with higher levels of equestrian experience as well as income from horse-related work. Finally, findings revealed a general acceptance of danger and imminent injury during horse interactions. This may explain why some respondents de-emphasised or ‘talked-down’ the importance of safety-first principles. In this paper we predominantly reported quantitative findings of respondents self-reported safety behaviours, general and horse-related risk perceptions despite injury or illness. We discussed the benefits of improved safety-first principles like training, risk assessments, rider-horse match with enriched safety communications to enhance risk-mitigation during human–horse interactions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 2652
Author(s):  
Ida bagus Surya Wijaya ◽  
Kastawan Mandala

The risks faced by customers when using the services of LPD, with attention to and maintain the quality of the company provided to customers will be added value to the LPD. The purpose of this study to determine the effect of service quality on the perception of customer value mediated by risk perception. This research was conducted at LPD Pererenan Kabupaten Badung. The sample used is 100 customers. The technique of this research is purposive sampling and analysis technique used is path analysis technique. Quality of service has a positive and significant impact on the perception of value. Perceptions of risk have a negative and significant impact on the perception of value, which means that when perceived risk perceptions of customers when using LPD services are high, the perception of customer value on LPD is low. Service quality has a negative and significant impact on risk perception. Perceptions of risk mediate the effect of service quality on the perception of customer value positively and significantly, it proves when the quality of service and perception of customer value is high then customer risk perceptions aat using LPD services low. A good LPD business should be able to maintain the quality of service provided to its customers, in terms of service. LPDs should be able to prioritize the interests of LPD customers in financial services LPD, able to establish good service quality and perception of good customer value.   Keywords: service quality, customer perception, risk perception


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Ridolfi ◽  
Frederike Albrecht ◽  
Giuliano Di Baldassarre

<p class="Abstract"><span lang="EN-GB">What implications do societies’ risk perceptions have for flood losses? This study uses a stylized, socio-hydrological model to simulate the mutual feedbacks between human societies and flood events. It integrates hydrological modelling with cultural theory and proposes four ideal types of society that reflect existing dominant risk perception and management: risk neglecting, risk monitoring, risk downplaying and risk controlling societies. We explore the consequent trajectories of flood risk generated by the interactions between floods and people for these ideal types of society over time. Results suggest that flood losses are substantially reduced when awareness raising attitudes are promoted through inclusive, participatory approaches in the community. In contrast, societies that rely on top-down hierarchies and structural measures to protect settlements on floodplains may still suffer significant losses during extreme events. This study illustrates how predictions formed through social science theories can be applied and tested in hydrological modelling. </span></p>


2021 ◽  
pp. 174569162110178
Author(s):  
Erika A. Waters ◽  
Marc T. Kiviniemi ◽  
Jennifer L. Hay ◽  
Heather Orom

Since the middle of the 20th century, perceptions of risk have been critical to understanding engagement in volitional behavior change. However, theoretical and empirical risk perception research seldom considers the possibility that risk perceptions do not simply exist: They must be formed. Thus, some people may not have formulated a perception of risk for a hazard at the time a researcher asks them, or they may not be confident in the extent to which their perception matches reality. We describe a decade-long research program that investigates the possibility that some people may genuinely not know their risk of even well-publicized hazards. We demonstrate that indications of not knowing (i.e., “don’t know” responses) are prevalent in the U.S. population, are systematically more likely to occur among marginalized sociodemographic groups, and are associated with less engagement in protective health behaviors. “Don’t know” responses are likely indications of genuinely limited knowledge and therefore may indicate populations in need of targeted intervention. This body of research suggests that not allowing participants to indicate their uncertainty may threaten the validity and generalizability of behavior-change research. We provide concrete recommendations for scientists to allow participants to express uncertainty and to analyze the resulting data.


2021 ◽  
pp. 154120402110299
Author(s):  
Sultan Altikrit ◽  
Joseph L. Nedelec ◽  
Ian Silver

Research on the role of risk perception as a mechanism linking personality traits and behavioral outcomes is limited. The current study assessed a developmental model of the influence of psychopathic traits (PPTs) on the between- and within-individual variation in perceptions of risk and aggressive offending. Multivariate latent growth curve models were used to estimate the role of risk perceptions in the association between PPTs and aggressive offending in a sample of 1,354 adjudicated youths. The results indicated that PPTs influenced between-individual differences in perceptions of risk (β = −.312) and aggressive offending (β = .256), although the effects on within-individual differences suggested some attenuation over time. Additionally, higher PPT scores exhibited an indirect influence on increased aggressive offending through reduced perceptions of risk (β = .049). Implications from this line of research support calls for a developmentally informed juvenile justice system that considers latent personality traits and their long-term effects. Broader implications support individualized rehabilitative programming and tailored responses to offending over the blanket deterrence approach that dominates the current landscape of the American criminal justice system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sweta CHAKRABORTY

COVID-19 hits all of the cognitive triggers for how the lay public misjudges risk. Robust findings from the field of risk perception have identified unique characteristics of a risk that allow for greater attribution of frequency and probability than is likely to be aligned with the base-rate statistics of the risk. COVID-19 embodies these features. It is unfamiliar, invisible, dreaded, potentially endemic, involuntary, disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations such as the elderly and has the potential for widespread catastrophe. When risks with such characteristics emerge, it is imperative for there to be trust between those in governance and communication and the lay public in order to quell public fears. This is not the environment in which COVID-19 has emerged, potentially resulting in even greater perceptions of risk.


1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (13) ◽  
pp. 1014-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Young ◽  
Michael S. Wogalter ◽  
John W. Brelsford

The degree of caution that people are willing to take for a given product is largely determined by their perceptions of the risk associated with that product. Research suggests that risk perceptions are determined by the objective likelihood or probability of encountering potential hazards (Slovic, Fischhoff, and Lichtenstein, 1979). However, there is also research suggesting that objective likelihood plays little or no role in determining risk perceptions. Rather, risk is determined by the subjective dimension of the hazard or in other words, the severity of injury (Wogalter, Desaulniers and Brelsford, 1986, 1987). The present research examined aspects of these two studies in an attempt to reconcile the observed differences. Subjects evaluated either the Wogalter et al. (1986, 1987) products or the Slovic et al. (1979) items on eight rating questions. Results demonstrated that severity of injury was the foremost predictor of perceived risk for the Wogalter products, but that likelihood of injury was primarily responsible for ratings of risk for the Slovic items. The two lists differed substantially on all the dimensions evaluated, suggesting that the content of the lists is responsible for the contrary findings. In a second study, subjects rated another set of generic consumer products. These ratings showed a pattern of results similar to the Wogalter products. Overall, this research: (a) explains the basis for conflicting results in the risk perception literature, and (b) demonstrates that severity of injury, and not likelihood of injury, is the primary determinant of people's perceptions of risk for common consumer products.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 929
Author(s):  
Rudyanto RUDYANTO ◽  
Rudy PRAMONO ◽  
Juliana JULIANA

Tourists consider the costs, energy, and safety of the COVID-19 pandemic that is currently hitting the world globally. Tourism travel is expected to remain the primary choice for economic recovery and improving family relations. This study uses Respondent-Driven Sampling and Snowball Sampling to collect 432 respondents via social media and the internet. This study used a structural equation model (SEM) to examine risk perceptions of risk-averse attitudes by mediating knowledge of pandemic risk, tourism travel, and travel intentions. The results showed that most of the prospective tourists showed a preference for tourism. Tourists pay attention to the dangers of performance, costs, time, tourism destinations, while the social-psychological risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have a low impact. The nature and behaviour of tourists to avoid pandemic risk cause pandemic risk to be less effective in reducing tourists' intention to travel. Understanding pandemic risk effectively reduces risk perceptions that potential tourists have on tourism travel. The purpose of travelling and the intent to recommend tourism travel harms risk avoidance attitudes higher than the risk perception of a pandemic. All tourism travel stakeholders must consider the mediating effect of risk perception and risk aversion attitudes in tourism.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. LaCour ◽  
E. Beyer ◽  
J. L. Finck ◽  
M. Miller ◽  
T. Davis

ObjectivesUnderstanding the factors that influence consumer attitudes and risk perception is critical for effective marketing of new food technologies. Many variables impact attitudes and risk perception. However, food technology research has largely focused on demographic variables, and often only single technologies (e.g., GMOs). Our goal was to determine how psychological variables differentially influence attitudes and risk perception for a range of food technologies: antibiotics, hormones, vaccines, GMOs, sustainability, and animal welfare technologies. We examined how attitudes and risk perception for these technologies related to four social psychological variables from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB): perceived norms, past behavior, familiarity, and perceived control. In addition, we measured general Food Technology Neophobia (FTN), Trust in Science (TIS), chemical reasoning (CR).Materials and MethodsParticipants (n = 394) provided demographics followed by TPB, attitude, and risk perception surveys for each of the six technologies. Then they completed FTN, TIS, and a CR survey measuring dose–response beliefs (DR), beliefs in unknown risks (UR), the role of risk in society (RS), and naturalness/knowledge of chemicals (NKC). Multiple regression analyses were used to test for associations among the survey measures.ResultsThe multiple regression models were all significant (p < 0.05). Variance accounted for (R2) ranged from 0.49 to0.69 (See Table 1 for summary). Perceived norms were the strongest predictor of attitudes and risk with higher values being associated with stronger attitudes (standardized betas ranging from 0.51 to 0.71) and lower risk perception (–0.54 to –0.40). There were a number of technology-specific associations, including familiarity increasing perceptions of risk for hormones, and NKC being primarily associated with animal welfare and sustainability technologies.ConclusionThe present findings show a critical role for perceived norms– a person’s perception that people they like also approve of or use a technology– across all technologies. This suggests that social factors like norms play a major role in consumer acceptance of food technologies. Other predictors varied in strength across technologies suggesting marketing may benefit from strategies tailored to specific technologies.Table 1Standardized betas (> 0.10 in bold) from selected coefficients of regression models predicting risk perceptions and attitudes (rows) for each technology (columns)


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document