Second Edition of Research about Risk Perception in the Environmental Health Domain

Dear Colleagues,

Risk perception (RP) is a person's judgment about a specific risk, influenced by facts, knowledge (secular, scientific, and also of everyday life), personal preferences and attitudes (fear, confidence, interpretation of uncertainty), individual evaluations (general and specific), and his or her social role (defined as "agency" by sociological disciplines, i.e., the possibility/ability to act to change one's condition). The study of RP has become increasingly relevant with the recognition that beliefs, knowledge, values and attitudes influence not only decisions but also health-related behaviors and, directly, people's exposure to environmental pressures.

Since RP determines what hazards people are affected by and how they deal with them, understanding it is critical in shaping risk communication and public health strategies. There are two main dimensions of RP, cognitive (how people know and understand risk) and emotional (how they perceive and experience them emotionally), but several theoretical models have been developed to explain how people perceive risk, how they process risk information, and how they make subsequent decisions. Studies of RP can use direct measurements, through questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups.

At contaminated sites, where environmental health risks are known or being studied, it is critical to investigate the gap between perceived and measured risks, which often causes misunderstanding or conflict among stakeholders. In a high-risk context, public participation can be a key opportunity to raise awareness, increase trust in institutions, and build a culture of prevention, where citizen science can find a well-founded application. Direct community involvement in planning health interventions has been adopted to improve knowledge, self-reliance, public acceptance of interventions and prevention, and the overall quality of projects, including their evaluation. Given the increasing processes of intermediation and because RP influences how people adhere to or reject health and prevention recommendations, it is necessary to investigate how RP is jointly influenced by the circulation of information, characteristics of the public, and characteristics of risk.

The understanding of factors that shape RP is crucial to promoting optimal engagement in preventive actions. Risk perception (RP) is important in determining health-protective behavior and social norms; cultural worldviews and affects have important implications for risk communication. Sociodemographic and psychological variables play an important role in this research area: individuals’ psychological reactions are influenced by both the content of the received information and the subjective perception of their own risk of becoming ill. To examine the relationship between risk perception and the real risk (exposure to pollutants, but also exposure to severe environmental health and social crises) it is important considering the influence of some psychological variables such as distress, anxiety and depression (affective states), perceived knowledge, news seeking, perceived control. Moreover, RP could determine an increase in depressive symptomatology led to an increase in anxious symptomatology. It is important to identify those, in situations of crisis and risk, who are inclined to a decrease in psychological well-being and of developing greater psychological distress. Focusing on the psychological predictors of RP, high levels of anxiety, an anxious attachment, and an external locus of control predict higher perceived risk. Conversely, high levels of open personality and of avoidant attachment predicted a lower perception of risk. Psychological factors influence the adoption of preventive behaviors both directly and indirectly through their effect on RP.

We are experiencing an unprecedented threefold global crisis: global warming and the environmental crisis are revealing extreme conditions of heat waves, droughts, and floods; the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is shaking the foundations of public health governance around the world; several conflicts around the world, and in particular the outbreak of war in Ukraine, are causing enormous damage to the environment and affected communities. The lives of billions of people are at risk in different ways, and inequalities are multiplying at different levels in every region of the world. War's environmental damage has implications for people and ecosystems.

Environmental and health research often takes place in socially and scientifically conflicting contexts. The knowledge of each of the actors involved may be partial, but despite this, the research results must be used for decision-making. To pursue these goals, it is necessary to consider a broad framework, including also the different perspectives of policymakers, citizens, and stakeholders, in order to strengthen, on the one hand, the validity of research findings and, on the other hand, the usability of the results in decision-making throughout the governance cycle.

The global consequences are difficult to predict, but public perceptions of risks are arguably changing: accurate consideration of public perceptions and increasing attention to risk communication could be a powerful tool for improving governance processes, supporting social dialogue including at the international level, and mutual cooperation among strata of the population and among peoples.

This Special Issue provides an opportunity to publish high-quality interdisciplinary research and reviews on environmental health and risk perception.

We will also consider articles that address risk perception in the context of policymaking and as a tool for strengthening and refining communication campaigns and awareness-raising activities.

Dr. Liliana Cori
Dr. Elisa Bustaffa
Dr. Olivia Curzio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• risk perception
• risk and uncertainty communication
• environmental health
• health behaviour
• psychology
• risk governance
• stakeholder participation
• war and environmental degradation

• Research about Risk Perception in the Environmental Health Domain in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (27 articles)