Preferences for risk conversations in everyday life: a conjoint analysis

Risk talk has recently received increased attention as a predictor of risk perception. If social interactions strongly influence how people think about risks, we first need to know how and why individuals engage in conversations on risk. Many factors may play a role in the decision to engage in a conversation. To untangle precisely which factors influence the decision to enter a risk conversation—and to what extent—we use a pre-registered conjoint survey experiment—suitable for investigating multidimensional preferences—based on seven key attributes of risk-related conversations. The results indicate the relative weight of conversation attributes that make people engage in risk conversations. The attributes that drive risk talk are—in order of importance—the interlocutor’s propensity to exchange information and relieve anxiety, the interlocutor’s proficiency on the topic, the closeness of the respondent to the interlocutor and the type of relationship, e.g. whether they are a relative or friend of the respondent. Respondents also preferred female over male conversation partners, with moderate, rather than high, levels of concern. We also found that different groups of respondents have different preferences regarding risk talk. This study increases scientific understanding of how risk perceptions, through risk talk, may be amplified, attenuated, and malleated socially, informing the work of risk communicators.