The methodology of risk perception research

Risk perception is not strictly a matter of sensory perception, but of atti tudes and expectations. As such, it can be studied by reasonably well devel oped methods of attitude measurement and psychological scaling. Such measur ement needs to be applied in a pragmatic fashion, however, since the discus sions of fundamental measurement and requirements of scale levels appropria te for various types of statistical analysis has failed in establishing a u seful basis for empirical research. The paper also discuses sampling proced ures and the response rate problem. In risk perception work, there is usual ly a bias involving too many respondents with an above average level of edu cation, but that variable tends to be weakly related to risk perception var iables. Finally, post-modern claims and their rejection of quantitative met hods are critically discussed.