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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Communicating radon risk effectively: a mid-course evaluation. Interim report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7166545
A panel of 2300 homeowners was divided into subgroups to test the effectiveness of six alternative ways of explaining the risk from naturally occurring radon gas. The research design focused on two dimensions: qualitative vs. quantitative and directive vs. evaluative. These characteristics led to 4 experimental booklets, which were compared with EPA's Citizen's Guide and a one-page fact sheet. The evaluation examined how much people learned about radon; whether they could form risk perceptions consistent with their home's measured radon level; and whether they felt they had enough information to make a decision about mitigation. The fact sheet did not perform well on any of these evaluation criteria. None of the five booklets clearly was best for all 3 evaluation criteria; the report discusses the implications for designing an effective radon-risk communication program.
OSTI ID:
7166545
Report Number(s):
PB-90-178302/XAB; EPA--230/07-87/029
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English