Accuracy of smokers' risk perceptions

III response to disagreements about the extent to which smokers recognize t he full risk: of smoking-induced illness, an attempt was made to review all articles that have investigated smokers' risk perceptions. These diverse s tudies are grouped here into four categories, depending oil the type of ris k judgment solicited by researchers. This grouping shows that the apparent underestimation or overestimation of risk depends on how risk perceptions a re assessed. No single conclusion about the accuracy of smokers' numerical risk estimates is possible since the accuracy depends entirely oil the heal th outcome rated (e.g. lung cancer versus all deaths duc to smoking). With other types of risk questions, smokers consistently acknowledge that smokin g increases health risks, but they judge the size of these increases to be smaller and less well-established than do non-smokers. Finally smokers mini mize the personal relevance of the risks: they do not believe that they are as much at risk as other smokers of becoming addicted or suffering health effects. The accumulated data indicate that smokers continue to minimize th eir personal health risks.