Z. Janet Yang

A United States-China Comparison of Risk Information–Seeking Intentions

We applied structural equation modeling to examine how the Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) model predicts information-seeking intentions in the United States and China. The context for this comparison was climate change. Results indicate that in the Chinese sample, seeking intentions were less influenced by environmental attitudes, risk perceptions, negative affect, information insufficiency, and behavioral beliefs. Across the two samples, subjective norms had similar impacts on seeking intentions. Overall, the model has cross-cultural validity and applicability in accounting for risk communication behaviors in these two nations. Based on prior support for this model outside of the context of climate change, the model is well poised to serve as a framework for a variety of cross-cultural risk information–seeking contexts.

Predicting Young Adults’ Intentions to Get the H1N1 Vaccine: An Integrated Model

Young adults 19 through 24 years of age were among the populations that had the highest frequency of infection from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. However, over the 2009–2010 flu season, H1N1 vaccine uptake among college students nationwide was around 8%. To explore the social cognitive factors that influenced their intentions to get the H1N1 vaccine, this study compares the predictive power of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the health belief model (HBM), and an integrated model. The final model shows that several HBM variables influenced behavioral intentions through the TPB variables. The results suggest that even though the TPB seemed a superior model for behavior prediction, the addition of the HBM variables could inform future theory development by offering health-specific constructs that potentially enhance the predictive validity of TPB variables.

Trust and affect: how do they impact risk information seeking in a health context?

This study examines college students’ intention to seek information about the H1N1 flu vaccine. We specifically focused on the relationship between trust and affect and whether they work together to influence risk information seeking. Results indicated that positive affect moderated the relationship between trust and information seeking, but negative affect did not. While both positive affect and negative affect influenced risk information seeking, when combined with trust, only positive affect remained as a significant predictor. These results suggest that by understanding the role that trust and affect play, medical professionals and disease control agencies can tailor their communication efforts to increase an individual’s intention to seek information about preventive measures. Specifically, maintaining the public’s trust and positive feelings toward these entities is key to successful communication about prevention measures such as vaccination.

Information sufficiency and attribution of responsibility: predicting support for climate change policy and pro-environmental behavior

This study extends the central part of the risk information seeking and processing model to examine how message elaboration influences individuals’ support for climate change mitigation policy and their intention to engage in pro-environmental behavior. Data were collected through online experimental surveys at two large universities in the Northeastern United States. Results indicate that perceived issue salience triggered negative affect and information insufficiency, both of which prompted systematic processing, which subsequently led to greater policy support and stronger intention to adopt more pro-environmental behaviors. From an applied perspective, this study suggests important pathways to encourage greater message elaboration, which may lead to increased public support for mitigation policies and adoption of pro-environmental behavior.

To fear or not to fear? Applying the social amplification of risk framework on two environmental health risks in Singapore

Abstract Smoke haze and dengue fever seasons were nationwide environmental health risk events that plagued Singapore between April and June 2013. Although relatively harmless compared to dengue fever, people in Singapore were visibly more disturbed by smoke haze. They engaged in preventive behaviors such as frantic purchasing of protective masks or staying indoors most of the time. Such reactions hint at the possibility of the social amplification of risk, a term coined to explain irrationally high public concerns over relatively minor risk issues, due to the visible nature of the risk event or people’s reactions to it. The current study aims to confirm the social amplification of risk for the haze event, as well as to test for the underlying reasons behind this phenomenon. Among the antecedents explored were the influence of information channels (traditional media and social media) on risk perception, negative affect, information seeking, and information sharing on the enactment of preventive behaviors. Data were collected from a sample of 343 college students through an online questionnaire. Results supported the presence of social amplification of risk for the haze event, and social media exposure was found to overshadow the influence of traditional media exposure on risk perception, negative affect, information seeking, information sharing, and preventive behaviors.

Risky Politics: Applying the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model to the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

News coverage of the 2016 U.S. presidential election periodically framed the election in terms of risk. We sought to better understand the role of perceived risk and related emotional responses in shaping information seeking intent during the election. We turned to the planned risk information seeking model as our theoretical framework and tested the model using online panel data collected in the month preceding Election Day 2016. Given the divisive nature of the presidential campaign, we also conducted multigroup comparison using ideology as a grouping variable. The model shows excellent fit to the data, accounting for more than half of the variance in seeking intent for both conservatives and liberals. Most interesting was that anger was negatively related to seeking intent among the conservatives but not the liberals, suggesting a sort of shutdown among certain respondents. Overall, our results suggest that the model provides a theoretically rich starting place for the study of risk information seeking in the context of electoral politics and raises some interesting questions for future research.