Political side of risk: a new approach

Conference · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5163256

Sorenson, J. B.; Trauth, Jr., C. A.

The resolution of many of the Nation's most-serious problems today is hampered by our apparent inability to systematically deal with the socio-political dimensions of the societal acceptance of risks in areas of technical development, decision making, and policy formulation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the energy field. The nature of public hazards has changed drastically during the past half century or so, driving public considerations of risk into the political realm. This has given many of the socio-political parameters underlying individual, group, and institutional perception and acceptance of risk an importance not typically recognized in technical approaches to risk assessment. As a result, there is now a large gap between technically based views of risk and societal views of risk which, the authors feel, is largely responsible for impeding the resolution of the national problems alluded to above. This paper proposes a general approach toward closing this gap, by using indicators from the political system to measure public perceptions and acceptance of risk, as a continuing function of time, to provide the technical community and policy and decision makers a basis from which to more effectively meet societal environmental, safety, and health goals. 15 references, 6 figures.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 5163256
• Report Number(s): SAND-80-1871C; CONF-800845-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290200* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
DECISION MAKING
ENERGY
ENERGY POLICY
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
HAZARDS
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
PUBLIC HEALTH
PUBLIC OPINION
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY
SOCIAL IMPACT
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT