Marie-Eve Cousin

Risk perception of mobile communication: a mental models approach

Some lay people confronted with a new base station project fear serious health consequences from the high‐frequency radiation, while experts consider exposure under the current international standards as unproblematic. These conflictive estimations may be attributed to the different mental models of lay people and experts. Less is known about lay people’s knowledge in regard to mobile communication and their intuitive understanding of the associated health risks. An adaptation of the ‘Mental Models Approach’ was used to reveal lay people’s beliefs about mobile communication and to learn more about lay people’s information requirements, potential knowledge gaps, and misconceptions. Through the means of open interviews with Swiss experts (N = 16), lay people (N = 16), and base station opponents (N = 15), different mental models were constructed and evaluated. Comparisons between the expert and the lay groups showed several qualitative differences in all identified knowledge domains. Knowledge gaps in regard to changing exposure magnitudes due to the interaction patterns of cell phones and base stations as well as misconceptions about regulation issues and scientific processes were found in both lay groups. In addition, lack of trust in responsible actors and disaffection with base station location processes were mentioned. The reported qualitative insights may be useful for the improvement of further risk communication tools.

Biased Confidence in Risk Assessment Studies

ABSTRACT The present research examined factors that influence laypeoples confidence in the results of risk assessment studies. A 2 (hazard; cell phone, base station) × 2 (study outcome; no risk, risk) × 2 (health effect; well-being, cancer) × 3 (risk perception prior to the manipulation; low, medium, high) design was used. Results showed that participants had more confidence in studies with results that were in line with their prior attitudes compared with studies that were at odds with their prior attitudes. In addition, participants had more confidence in studies showing a risk compared with studies showing no risk. Results suggest that these biases may be one of the reasons why laypeople are concerned about technological risks, even when risk assessment studies indicate that there is a low probability of adverse health effects.

Expert Opinion on the Perceived Effectiveness and Importance of On-Farm Biosecurity Measures for Cattle and Swine Farms in Switzerland.

Biosecurity is crucial for safeguarding livestock from infectious diseases. Despite the plethora of biosecurity recommendations, published scientific evidence on the effectiveness of individual biosecurity measures is limited. The objective of this study was to assess the perception of Swiss experts about the effectiveness and importance of individual on-farm biosecurity measures for cattle and swine farms (31 and 30 measures, respectively). Using a modified Delphi method, 16 Swiss livestock disease specialists (8 for each species) were interviewed. The experts were asked to rank biosecurity measures that were written on cards, by allocating a score from 0 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Experts ranked biosecurity measures based on their importance related to Swiss legislation, feasibility, as well as the effort required for implementation and the benefit of each biosecurity measure. The experts also ranked biosecurity measures based on their effectiveness in preventing an infectious agent from entering and spreading on a farm, solely based on transmission characteristics of specific pathogens. The pathogens considered by cattle experts were those causing Bluetongue (BT), Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR). Swine experts expressed their opinion on the pathogens causing African Swine Fever (ASF), Enzootic Pneumonia (EP), Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), as well as FMD. For cattle farms, biosecurity measures that improve disease awareness of farmers were ranked as both most important and most effective. For swine farms, the most important and effective measures identified were those related to animal movements. Among all single measures evaluated, education of farmers was perceived by the experts to be the most important and effective for protecting both Swiss cattle and swine farms from disease. The findings of this study provide an important basis for recommendation to farmers and policy makers.

Public risk perception in the total meat supply chain

Due to past major food scares, food-safety perceptions have become a widely investigated topic. The aim of the present study was to examine food-safety perceptions separately for every step of the total meat supply chain, as such a detailed approach yields more promising strategies to ensure food safety in the future. Using a large-scale survey, we examined people’s risk perceptions of 18 steps describing the total meat supply chain. The results revealed a clear distinction between risk perception at the production stage and risk perception at home in the total meat supply chain, in that people perceived significantly less risk at home. However, people’s risk perceptions of the single stages in the total meat supply chain were overall slightly above average. Additionally, there were individual differences, as risk perception at the production stage was highly correlated with risk perception at home, meaning that some people perceived more risk than others overall. Using a multiple regression analysis, we found food-safety perceptions to be barely significant next to other important variables affecting people’s meat-consumption decisions. For those analyses, we asked participants to assess several constructs previously found to be associated with meat consumption. The goal was to determine how food-safety perceptions influence people’s meat consumption next to other important constructs in situations in which no major food scandal is present. The present paper concludes by discussing possible marketing and policy strategies to overcome people’s inaccurate safety perceptions of the stages of the total food chain.

Risk communication, prenatal screening, and prenatal diagnosis: the illusion of informed decision‐making

Pregnant womens knowledge of prenatal tests was assessed in face‐to‐face interviews. The focus of the study was on how physicians communicate test results to their clients and whether women possess enough information to make informed decisions. Thirty‐five women located in the German‐speaking part of Switzerland participated in the study, which was based on half‐standardized interviews lasting about an hour. Standardized questions were used to measure womens knowledge of prenatal tests. In selecting women to participate in the study, we ensured that they were counseled by different physicians. Results showed that most participants overestimated the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome. Most women had difficulties in interpreting a positive test result associated with blood tests (i.e., PAPP‐A), but almost all women knew that this test provides a probabilistic outcome. Most women had very accurate knowledge of the risk of a miscarriage associated with invasive tests (i.e., amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling). A substantial percentage of the women, however, did not realize that the invasive tests are also probabilistic tests. Overall, results of our study suggest that approaches to risk communication vary across physicians. There seems to be no standardization in counseling. In addition, our results suggest that many pregnant women may lack the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions regarding prenatal tests.

The impact of specific information provision on base station siting preferences

When it comes to the new siting of a mobile communication base station in one’s neighbourhood, some people react with rejection because they fear health consequences from the emitted high‐frequency radiation. Most people would prefer to site base stations outside residential areas, but from a public health perspective, this may result in even more radiation for the phoning population. Therefore, authorities are interested in improving the current base station siting processes. The question arises whether specific knowledge enhancement would influence base station siting preferences or whether affective or emotional components (due to the scientific uncertainties involved) would overrule the influence of such attempts. To answer this question, an experimental study with a convenience sample of Swiss citizens (N = 228) was conducted. Participants were confronted with one of three texts: a neutral text (control group), an information booklet about mobile communication and an emotionally charged newspaper article that reported a conflict about the siting of a new base station. After reading the text, participants filled out a questionnaire about their perception of mobile communication and their base station siting preferences. Reading the information booklet increased participants’ knowledge and led to some perceptual changes of base stations and mobile phones. Importantly, participants reading the booklet were able to transfer their knowledge to a base station siting task and found locations that would emit less radiation for the phoning population. Implications and limitations of these results are discussed.