Results are presented from a pilot study in which risk perceptions for
developing cancer in samples of American and British adults were comp
ared. 61 American and 43 British people estimated the likelihood of ca
ncer happening to themselves and the average person. As a group, parti
cipants tended to judge their personal likelihood of developing cancer
as less than the average, supporting the presence of an optimistic bi
as. However, compared to the Americans, British respondents tended to
perceive both themselves and the average person to be less likely to d
evelop cancer. There were no gender differences or interactions betwee
n the variables. Discussion centered on possible variations between th
e two countries with respect to perceptions of control and responsibil
ity for one's health status which may account for the findings.