Participatory versus analytic approaches for understanding risk perceptions

A comparison of three case studies from the field of biotechnology

Bibliographic Data

ID12597973
AuthorsLeonie Dendler (0000-0003-4442-5273, Department Risk Communication, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany, corresponding author), Mariana Costa Oliveira Morais (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment), Mariana Morais (0000-0002-4387-0431, Department Risk Communication, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany), Jan Nikolas Hargart (Department Risk Communication, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany), Joana S Lourenço (European Food Safety Authority), Domagoj Vrbos (European Food Safety Authority), Paul Ortega (European Food Safety Authority), Kamila Sfugier Tollik (European Food Safety Authority), Georgios Alaveras (European Food Safety Authority), Barbara Gallani (European Food Safety Authority), Michelle Patel (0000-0001-9094-5267, Science, Evidence and Research Directorate, FSA, UK), Laura Broomfield (Science, Evidence and Research Directorate, FSA, UK), Ortwin Renn (0000-0002-2283-4247, Research Institute for Sustainability - Helmholtz Center Potsdam, Germany (RIFS))
Year2023
Volume26
Issue8
Pages866-882
Publication date2023-05-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Risk Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1366-9877 • E-ISSN: 1466-4461
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13669877.2023.2197615
OpenAlexW4377047250
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited73

Considering growing participatory turns in regulatory scientific risk analysis, this paper compares how social scientists use participatory and analytical methods to understand risk perceptions and meet competing demands for representativeness and inclusiveness. Drawing on case studies of how three European risk agencies use participatory and analytic methods in the context of biotechnology, it confirms difficulties of analytic methods to shed light on perceptions when applied to unfamiliar topics. It also shows the potential of participatory in particular deliberative formats to engage affected populations in the risk analysis process, despite challenges in promoting inclusiveness. The cases call for the integration of methods, while remaining aware of the need to understand the mutual interplay in the constructions of risks and structural inequalities

Citizen journalism · Context (archaeology · Field (mathematics · Geography · Management science · Perception · Political science · Process (computing · Representativeness heuristic · Risk perception · Sociology · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Computer Science · Engineering · Mathematics · Psychology · Risk Perception and Management · Social Psychology · Zoonotic diseases and public health