HIGH-RISK OR LOW - HOW LOCATION ON A RISK LADDER AFFECTS PERCEIVED RISK

Efforts to explain risk magnitude often rely on a ''risk ladder'' in w hich exposure levels and associated risk estimates are arrayed with lo w levels at the bottom and high ones at the top. Two experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that perceived threat and intended mi tigation vary with the location of the subject's assigned level on the risk ladder. Subjects were New Jersey homeowners, asked to assume a p articular level of radon or asbestos contamination in their homes, to read a brochure explaining the risk, and then to complete a questionna ire. Both studies found that the difference between an assigned level one-quarter of the way up the ladder and the same level three-quarters of the way up the ladder significantly affected threat perception; th e effect on mitigation intentions was significant in only one of the s tudies. Variations in assigned risk also affected threat perception an d mitigation intentions. Variations in test magnitude (e.g., 15 fibers per liter vs. 450 fibers per cubic foot, roughly equivalent risks) ha d no effect, nor did the distinction between radon and asbestos affect the dependent variables. These findings suggest that communicators ca n design risk ladders to emphasize particular risk characteristics.