Perception of Risk, Health, and Inequality

Abstract

While risk assessment and management are becoming more common place activities in the United States and countries of the former Soviet Union, understanding risk perceptions, particularly perceptions of the lay public, is still a far from perfect science. This chapter maps out the legacy of public opinion. This survey of perceptions of the lay public (taken from a random sample of individuals from all walks of life in Bulgaria) can help decision makers, risk managers, and risk analysts understand why the public responds as it does to their overtures. The survey examines the views of the lay public on the risks they face, their ability to control such risks, and their perceptions of those who are charged with risk management.