Useful Communication of Risks to Decision Makers
Carolyn S. Konheim · 2024
The caustic observation, “Any politician would prefer a dead body to a frightened voter”, 1 expresses the cynicism that many citizens attribute to elected officials whom they feel are covering up the risks of modern society. People today harbor a heightened fear of technology. An authority on risk perception notes: ‘The dominant perception for most Americans (and one that contrasts sharply with the views of professional risk assessors) is that they face more risk today than in the past and that future risk will be even greater than today’s.” 2 Nowhere is this more evident than in the numerous battles being waged across the U.S. over public approval for building resource recovery, or refuse-to-energy incineration plants.