Health risk perception in Canada II: Worldviews, attitudes and opinions
- 1 September 1995
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal
- Vol. 1 (3) , 231-248
- https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039509380009
Abstract
In this article, we present the results of a national survey of 1500 Canadians on their attitudes and opinions about health risks. Ratings of perceived risk, sources of information on health risks and responsibility for risk management were also investigated, with findings reported separately. A high degree of concern about health risks was associated with industrial pollution and chemical products (with the exception of medicines), with almost complete agreement that the land, air and water are more contaminated than ever. In addition, there was widespread belief that a risk‐free environment was an achievable goal, and an unwillingness to accept some health risks to improve the economy. Lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and tobacco smoking were perceived to be important modifiers of health risk. On the other hand, many respondents endorsed the idea that they had little control over the risks to their health.Keywords
This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit:
- Health risk perception in Canada I: Rating hazards, sources of information and responsibility for health protectionHuman and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 1995
- Intuitive Toxicology: Expert and Lay Judgments of Chemical RisksRisk Analysis, 1992
- Orienting Dispositions in the Perception of RiskJournal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1991
- Nuclear PoliticsPublished by Walter de Gruyter GmbH ,1990
- Risk perception in a decision making contextEnvironmental Carcinogenesis Reviews, 1987
- Contemporary Worldviews and Perception of the Technological SystemPublished by Springer Nature ,1986
- Dietary Carcinogens and AnticarcinogensScience, 1983