Media Disaster Reporting Effects on Public Risk Perception and Response to Escalating Tornado Warnings: A Natural Experiment

Previous research has evaluated public risk perception and response to a natural hazards in various settings; however, most of these studies were conducted either with a single scenario or after a natural disaster struck. To better understand the dynamic relationships among affect, risk perception, and behavioral intentions related to natural disasters, the current study implements a simulation scenario with escalating weather intensity, and includes a natural experiment allowing comparison of public response before and after a severe tornado event with extensive coverage by the national media. The current study also manipulated the display of warning information, and investigated whether the warning system display format influences public response. Results indicate that (1) affect, risk perception, and behavioral intention escalated as weather conditions deteriorated, (2) responses at previous stages predicted responses at subsequent stages of storm progression, and (3) negative affect predicted risk perception. Moreover, risk perception and behavioral intention were heightened after exposure to the media coverage of an actual tornado disaster. However, the display format manipulation did not influence behavioral responses. The current study provides insight regarding public perception of predisaster warnings and the influence of exposure to media coverage of an actual disaster event.     

Developing a Broadly Applicable Measure of Risk Perception

Decades of research identify risk perception as a largely intuitive and affective construct, in contrast to the more deliberative assessments of probability and consequences that form the foundation of risk assessment. However, a review of the literature reveals that many of the risk perception measures employed in survey research with human subjects are either generic in nature, not capturing any particular affective, probabilistic, or consequential dimension of risk; or focused solely on judgments of probability. The goal of this research was to assess a multidimensional measure of risk perception across multiple hazards to identify a measure that will be broadly useful for assessing perceived risk moving forward. Our results support the idea of risk perception being multidimensional, but largely a function of individual affective reactions to the hazard. We also find that our measure of risk perception holds across multiple types of hazards, ranging from those that are behavioral in nature (e.g., health and safety behaviors), to those that are technological (e.g., pollution), or natural (e.g., extreme weather). We suggest that a general, unidimensional measure of risk may accurately capture one's perception of the severity of the consequences, and the discrete emotions that are felt in response to those potential consequences. However, such a measure is not likely to capture the perceived probability of experiencing the outcomes, nor will it be as useful at understanding one's motivation to take mitigation action.     

Efficacy,Action, and Support for Reducing Climate Change Risks

A growing body of research demonstrates that believing action to reduce the risks of climate change is both possible (self‐efficacy) and effective (response efficacy) is essential to motivate and sustain risk mitigation efforts. Despite this potentially critical role of efficacy beliefs, measures and their use vary wildly in climate change risk perception and communication research, making it hard to compare and learn from efficacy studies. To address this problem and advance our understanding of efficacy beliefs, this article makes three contributions. First, we present a theoretically motivated approach to measuring climate change mitigation efficacy, in light of diverse proposed, perceived, and previously researched strategies. Second, we test this in two national survey samples (Amazon's Mechanical Turk N = 405, GfK Knowledge Panel N = 1,820), demonstrating largely coherent beliefs by level of action and discrimination between types of efficacy. Four additive efficacy scales emerge: personal self‐efficacy, personal response efficacy, government and collective self‐efficacy, and government and collective response efficacy. Third, we employ the resulting efficacy scales in mediation models to test how well efficacy beliefs predict climate change policy support, controlling for specific knowledge, risk perceptions, and ideology, and allowing for mediation by concern. Concern fully mediates the relatively strong effects of perceived risk on policy support, but only partly mediates efficacy beliefs. Stronger government and collective response efficacy beliefs and personal self‐efficacy beliefs are both directly and indirectly associated with greater support for reducing the risks of climate change, even after controlling for ideology and causal beliefs about climate change.     

Politics and Scientific Expertise: Scientists, Risk Perception, and Nuclear Waste Policy

To study the homogeneity and influences on scientists'perspectives of environmental risks, we have examined similarities and differences in risk perceptions, particularly regarding nuclear wastes, and policy preferences among 1011 scientists and engineers. We found significant differences ( p 0.05)in the patterns of beliefs among scientists from different fields of research. In contrast to physicists, chemists, and engineers, life scientists tend to: (a)perceive the greatest risks from nuclear energy and nuclear waste management; (b)perceive higher levels of overall environmental risk; (c)strongly oppose imposing risks on unconsenting individuals; and (d)prefer stronger requirements for environmental management. On some issues related to priorities among public problems and calls for government action, there are significant variations among life scientists or physical scientists. We also found that–independently of field of research–perceptions of risk and its correlates are significantly associated with the type of institution in which the scientist is employed. Scientists in universities or state and local governments tend to see the risks of nuclear energy and wastes as greater than scientists who work as business consultants, for federal organizations, or for private research laboratories. Significant differences also are found in priority given to environmental risks, the perceived proximity of environmental disaster, willingness to impose risks on an unconsenting population, and the necessity of accepting risks and sacrifices.     

制度创新与人的全面发展

制度创新是人的全面发展的基本途径。从人的全面发展的视角看问题,适合于中国社会的理想制度模式应当是形式化、程序性、民主优先于自由、有利于杰出人才涌现、以人为本的非人格化制度。这种制度的创新,需要我们设定正确的制度创新理念,培养人们的创新精神和创新意识,积极探索制度创新的规律性,完备制度创新的实施技术。     

关于建立我国社会信用制度体系若干问题的探讨

市场经济是一种契约经济或信用经济,但由于我国社会主义市场经济正处于发育阶段,企业信用制度还没有真正建立起来,一些失信行为出现在国民经济各个领域,当务之急是要切实加快社会信用制度体系建设,这直接关系到能否降低交易费用,提高市场效率,直接关系到市场经济能否长期繁荣。从信用管理立法工作、加强对信用行业进行相应的管理和监督等四个方面提出建立、健全我国社会信用制度体系的建议。     

浅析库利"意象"论对歌唱学习的影响

歌唱学习者成长的道路问题是一个认知能力的把握问题,这种认知能力把握水平的高低决定了他们的定位。在歌唱学习过程中合理把握自我知觉与群体评价的和谐关系,全面参照现实形象与角色形象,保持同一性,度衡自尊性,是自我意象在当前的歌唱学习大潮中所衍生的重要要求,更是歌唱学习健康发展的必要保障。     

高校德育低效的内因分析

高校德育低效除社会大环境的负面影响外,高校德育自身的问题也不可忽视。智德分离;不尊重学生的主体地位;忽视培育和发展学生的情感、忽视学生的差异和个性;德育与学生的生活和需要脱节;育德者的人格不适应德育的要求等德育自身的缺陷是德育低效的内在原因。     

成都市民旅游感应空间研究

旅游感应强度是研究旅游感应空间的一个角度。通过对《成都晚报》“旅游”专刊最近 6年的统计 ,得到全国 34个省级行政区及四川省内分地区作为旅游目的地的出现频次 ,以此频次来表征成都市民对国内及省内旅游目的地的感应强度。利用感应强度从省际和省内不同尺度揭示了成都市民旅游感应空间的特点 ,并发现旅游感应空间的一些新特征     

农地优化利用与农地产权制度创新

不合理的农地产权制度有碍农村土地的优化利用 ;合理的农地产权制度能够促进农村土地的优化利用。由于现行农地产权制度存在着诸多缺陷 ,因此 ,创新农地产权制度 ,重塑农地产权主体 ,以立法方式界定农地产权内容 ,加快农地产权的证券化进程 ,可以达到优化配置、高效利用农村土地的目的