Attitude towards risk-taking and individual choice in the Quebec referendum on sovereignty

How do people make decisions when they have to choose between unknown futur es? Do they simply rely on anticipated costs and benefits or do they use so me other criteria to assess their options? And what determines the criteria they use to make such decisions? This article explores the way voters take sides when they are faced with a fundamental political choice. Using data from a survey of voting intentions conducted prior to the 1995 referendum o n sovereignty in Quebec, we find that attitude towards risk-taking influenc es political choice indirectly, as it affects the relative weights given to different decision criteria. Individuals who usually accept risk more read ily tend to choose entirely on the basis of anticipated costs and benefits, bur individuals who are more reluctant to take risks give almost as much w eight to the perceived possibility of a 'worst outcome'. Our analysis sugge sts that attitude towards risk-taking had a modest but significant impact o n individual choice, and thus was a contributing factor in the outcome of t he Quebec referendum.