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Risk Perception and the Value of Safety

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  • Timothy L. McDaniels
  • Mark S. Kamlet
  • Gregory W. Fischer

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between perceived risk and willingness‐to‐pay (WTP)for increased safety from technological hazards in both conceptual and empirical terms. A conceptual model is developed in which a given household's WTP for risk reductions is a function of traditional socioeconomic variables (i.e., income and base level of risk)and perceived characteristics of the hazards (i.e., dread, knowledge, and exposure). Data to estimate the model are obtained through a combined contingent valuation and risk perception survey that considers 10 technological hazards, five of which are well‐defined (e.g., death rates are known and the risks are relatively common)and five are less well‐defined. Econometric results, using TOBIT estimation procedures, support the importance of both types of variables in explaining WTP across all 10 hazards. When the risks are split into two groups, the results show that WTP for well‐defined hazards is most influenced by perceived personal exposure, while WTP for less well‐defined risks is most influenced by levels of dread and severity.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy L. McDaniels & Mark S. Kamlet & Gregory W. Fischer, 1992. "Risk Perception and the Value of Safety," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(4), pages 495-503, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:riskan:v:12:y:1992:i:4:p:495-503
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.1992.tb00706.x
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    Cited by:

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    3. James Hammitt & Jin-Tan Liu, 2004. "Effects of Disease Type and Latency on the Value of Mortality Risk," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 73-95, January.
    4. Timothy McDaniels & Lawrence J. Axelrod & Paul Slovic, 1995. "Characterizing Perception of Ecological Risk," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(5), pages 575-588, October.
    5. Erpeng Wang & Ning An & Zhifeng Gao & Emmanuel Kiprop & Xianhui Geng, 2020. "Consumer food stockpiling behavior and willingness to pay for food reserves in COVID-19," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(4), pages 739-747, August.
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    7. Kevin M. Simmons & Jamie Brown Kruse & Douglas A. Smith, 2002. "Valuing Mitigation: Real Estate Market Response to Hurricane Loss Reduction Measures," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 68(3), pages 660-671, January.
    8. Kochi, Ikuho & Taylor, Laura O., 2011. "Risk Heterogeneity and the Value of Reducing Fatal Risks: Further Market-Based Evidence," Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 2(3), pages 1-28, August.
    9. Sara Olofsson & Ulf G. Gerdtham & Lars Hultkrantz & Ulf Persson, 2019. "Dread and Risk Elimination Premium for the Value of a Statistical Life," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(11), pages 2391-2407, November.
    10. Perrings, Charles, 2001. "The economics of biological invasions," Land Use and Water Resources Research, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Centre for Land Use and Water Resources Research, vol. 1, pages 1-9.
    11. James K. Hammitt, 2002. "QALYs Versus WTP," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(5), pages 985-1001, October.
    12. Ahlheim, Michael & Frör, Oliver & Nguyen Minh Duc & Rehl, Antonia & Siepmann, Ute & Pham Van Dinh, 2017. "Labour as a utility measure reconsidered," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 03-2017, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    13. Kopp, Raymond J. & Krupnick, Alan J. & Toman, Michael, 1997. "Cost-Benefit Analysis and Regulatory Reform: An Assessment of the Science and the Art," Discussion Papers 10851, Resources for the Future.
    14. C. M. Jolly & B. Bayard & S. Vodouhe, 2009. "Risks of Ingestion of Aflatoxin‐Contaminated Groundnuts in Benin: Scale Measurements, Beliefs, and Socioeconomic Factors," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(10), pages 1395-1409, October.
    15. Akter, Sonia & Brouwer, Roy & Chowdhury, Saria & Aziz, Salina, 2008. "Determinants of Participation in a Catastrophe Insurance Programme: Empirical Evidence from a Developing Country," 2008 Conference (52nd), February 5-8, 2008, Canberra, Australia 5984, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    16. Susan Chilton & Michael Jones-Lee & Francis Kiraly & Hugh Metcalf & Wei Pang, 2006. "Dread risks," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 33(3), pages 165-182, December.
    17. Andrea Morone & Ozlem Ozdemir, 2006. "Valuing Protection against Low Probability, High Loss Risks: Experimental Evidence," Papers on Strategic Interaction 2006-34, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Strategic Interaction Group.
    18. George Halkos & Argyro Zisiadou, 2020. "An Overview of the Technological Environmental Hazards over the Last Century," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 411-428, July.
    19. Carla Guerriero & John Cairns & Fabrizio Bianchi & Liliana Cori, 2018. "Are children rational decision makers when they are asked to value their own health? A contingent valuation study conducted with children and their parents," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2), pages 55-68, February.
    20. Bradley T. Ewing & Jamie Brown Kruse & Dan Sutter, 2007. "Hurricanes and Economic Research: An Introduction to the Hurricane Katrina Symposium," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 74(2), pages 315-325, October.
    21. Himanshu Grover, 2023. "Public risk perception of covid-19 transmission and support for compact development," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    22. Fletcher, Cameron S. & Ganegodage, K. Renuka & Hildenbrand, Marian D. & Rambaldi, Alicia N., 2022. "The behaviour of property prices when affected by infrequent floods," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    23. Sujitra Vassanadumrongdee & Shunji Matsuoka, 2005. "Risk Perceptions and Value of a Statistical Life for Air Pollution and Traffic Accidents: Evidence from Bangkok, Thailand," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 261-287, May.
    24. Jin‐Tan Liu & James K. Hammitt & Jung‐Der Wang & Meng‐Wen Tsou, 2005. "Valuation of the risk of SARS in Taiwan," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(1), pages 83-91, January.

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