GENDER DIFFERENCES IN RISK PERCEPTION - EFFECTS DIFFER IN STRESSED VSNONSTRESSED ENVIRONMENTS

Contrary to previous reports that women are more concerned about envir onmental risks than men, we hypothesized that men and women residing i n neighborhoods stressed by multiple hazards would demonstrate similar concerns about local environmental conditions. Analysis of a national data base and an aggregate of ten local data bases found greater fema le than male concern about local technological, behavioral, and land u se hazards in good neighborhoods, but, as expected, not in stressed on es. We urge analysts to conduct more studies in stressed neighborhoods in order to better understand the perspective of those who live with environmental risks.