Purvis-Roberts Kathleen L, Werner Cynthia A, Frank Irene
Claremont Mckenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Joint Science Department, Claremont, CA, USA.
Risk Anal. 2007 Apr;27(2):291-302. doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2007.00882.x.
Determining the difference in perception of risk between experts, or more educated professionals, and laypeople is important so that a potential hazard can be effectively communicated to the public. Many surveys have been conducted to better understand the difference between expert and public opinions, and often laypeople exhibit higher perceptions of risk to hazards in comparison to experts. This is especially true when health risk is due to radiation, nuclear power, and nuclear waste. This article focuses on one section of a risk perception survey given to two groups of individuals with a more specialized education (scientists and physicians) and laypeople (villagers) in the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan. All of these groups live near the former Soviet nuclear test site. Originally, it was expected that the scientists and physicians would have similar perceptions of radiation risk, while the public perceptions would be higher, but this was not always the case. For example, when perceptions of risk pertain to the health impacts of nuclear testing or the dose-response nature of radiation exposure, the physicians tend to agree with the laypeople, not the scientists. The villagers are always the most risk-averse group, followed by the physicians and then the scientists. These differences are likely due to different frames of reference for each of the populations.
确定专家或受教育程度更高的专业人士与普通民众在风险认知上的差异很重要，这样才能将潜在危害有效地传达给公众。已经进行了许多调查，以更好地理解专家意见与公众意见之间的差异，而且与专家相比，普通民众往往对危害表现出更高的风险认知。当健康风险是由辐射、核能和核废料引起时，情况尤其如此。本文重点关注一项风险认知调查的一部分，该调查针对哈萨克斯坦塞米巴拉金斯克地区两组接受过更专业教育的人群（科学家和医生）以及普通民众（村民）进行。所有这些群体都居住在前苏联核试验场附近。最初预计，科学家和医生对辐射风险的认知会相似，而公众的认知会更高，但情况并非总是如此。例如，当风险认知涉及核试验对健康的影响或辐射暴露的剂量反应性质时，医生往往与普通民众意见一致，而不是与科学家意见一致。村民始终是最规避风险的群体，其次是医生，然后是科学家。这些差异可能是由于每个群体的参照系不同。
