Optimistic Bias of Risk Perception and Intention for Coping Behavior : Focusing on Japan Radiation Risk

To reduce harm caused by occupational health risks of construction workers exposed to working environments, especially those for interior decoration, it is crucial for them to actively recognize and prevent these risks. Therefore, how to improve their occupational health risks perception and regulate their coping behaviors should be of great concern. However, most prior studies target construction worker safety, and little research focuses on risk analysis from the psychological level of workers. Hence, construction workers’ occupational health risk perception level and coping behavior level in Nanjing and the influencing factors were analyzed through statistical analysis with 341 valid questionnaires. Bootstrapping was applied to test the mediating effects of risk perception on the proposed factors and coping behaviors. This study revealed that construction workers have a high-level of occupational health risk perception, yet low-level coping behavior. Gender, age, education level, and unit qualification cause differences in individual risk perception level. Personal knowledge and group effects significantly affect the level of risk perception, which subsequently affect coping behavior. Education level, monthly income, and personal knowledge influence the coping behavior through risk perception. Recommendations were put forward for risk perception and coping behavior improvement from the perspectives of construction workers themselves, enterprises, and governments. This study sheds new light for research areas of occupational health and risk management and provides beneficial practice for improving construction workers’ responses to occupational health risks.

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Show, Not Tell: The Contingency Role of Infographics Versus Text in the Differential Effects of Message Strategies on Optimistic Bias

Science Communication ◽

10.1177/1075547019888659 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (6) ◽

pp. 732-760 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Guanxiong Huang ◽

Kang Li ◽

Hairong Li

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Reference Point ◽

Behavioral Intentions ◽

Message Framing ◽

The Self ◽

Optimistic Bias ◽

Increasing Risk ◽

Subject Experiment ◽

Message Strategies

Using an online between-subject experiment, this study tested the effects of message framing (gain vs. loss), reference point (self vs. other), and modality (text vs. infographics) in the scenario of recycling promotion. The findings identified that modality determines under what circumstances message strategies make a difference in risk perception and optimistic bias. In particular, only when paired with infographics and other-referencing point are loss-framed messages more effective than gain-framed messages in increasing risk perception and reducing the self-other gap in perceived benefits. Moreover, risk perception variables and the self-other risk perceptual gap were significant predictors of promoted behavioral intentions.

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Risk perceptions and preparedness of typhoon disaster on coastal inhabitants in China

American Journal of Disaster Medicine ◽

10.5055/ajdm.2011.0051 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 119-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Li-Ping Jiang, PhD, RN ◽

Lan Yao, PhD ◽

Eleanor F. Bond, PhD, RN, FAAN ◽

Yu-Ling Wang, MSN, RN ◽

Li-quan Huang, MSN, RN

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Eastern China ◽

Coping Behavior ◽

Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽

Risk Area ◽

High Risk Area ◽

Property Losses

China is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Southeastern China situated on the Pacific Ocean experiences severe and devastating typhoons and hydrogeological disasters every year. Although respondents are highly aware of the typhoon outbreaks, they do not have necessary precautionary actions.This retrospective study evaluates the inhabitants’ sociodemographic characteristics with risk perceptions and preparedness. Subjects (434 adults) were recruited from two rural areas in coastal south-eastern China, both with high typhoon exposure. One area (landfall area [LA]) was more severely affected than the other (surrounding area [SA]) by the 2006 typhoon “Saomai.” Subjects were interviewed using a structured questionnaire with items addressing sociodemographic characteristics and exposure to public education related to emergency preparedness, risk perception, and coping strategies. Overall, most residents (92 percent) were aware that they lived in a high-risk area. About 54.6 percent respondents chose media as the first approach to obtain preparedness education, and 32.4 percent of respondents thought that personal experience is an important tool to defend themselves from typhoon. In LA, residents perceived themselves to be at higher risk than those who lived in the SA. More than 66.5 percent of respondents were terrified by typhoon, and 62.2 percent of respondents were afraid of its recurrence. Respondents emphasized that their life style (61.4 percent), property losses (54.5 percent), and threat to life (52.4 percent) were influenced by typhoon attack. Coping behavior most likely to be adopted was “anticipatory food, water storage and residents in LA is significantly higher than SA (p 0.01). Risk perception with Spider Map analysis depicted that the item of disaster information is similar in both familiarity or dread associated with the risk axes (p 0.05). However, in rescue and recovery of typhoon items, the score of familiarity with risk and dread with the risk axes is below 2.5. Regression analyses indicated that poor coping behavior was positively associated with age, risk perception, residential location, and knowledge of preparedness. The results indicated that risk perceptions and precaution activity were strongly related with inhabitants’ sociodemographic characteristics and vulnerability of disaster-affected zone.

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