The Influence of Mass Media and Interpersonal Communication on Societal and Personal Risk Judgments

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Abstract
The study described in this article examines the influences of mass media, interpersonal channels, and self-efficacy on risk judgment, using data from a sample of New York State residents. Risk judgment is conceptualized on two distinct domains: personal-level risk judgment and social-level risk judgment. The health and risk communication literature suggests that mass media channels are more likely to influence social-level risk judgment, and the current study bears out this hypothesis. But, unlike typical findings, personal-level risk was found to be influenced, to some degree, by mass media channels. Interpersonal channels account for a portion of the variance on social-level risk judgment, as does self-efficacy. The health risks examined include heart disease, AIDS, smoking, and hazards from drinking water, household radon, chemicals on food, household chemicals, and low-level radioactive waste.