The study compares societal risk ratings by inhabitants of two countri
es which differ markedly in terms of geography, economics, politics, a
nd ethnic background, but which are similar as regards media coverage.
The two populations were represented by a sample of French students a
nd a sample of Burkina Faso intellectuals. The overall Burkinabe mean
ratings appeared much closer to the mean observed in France (and in th
e United States-roughly 40 out of 100) than the means reported for oth
er countries like Norway or Hungary. The correlation between Burkinabe
and French ratings was very high: .852. The findings argue in favor o
f a practically totally determinant effect of the media in risk percep
tion.