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Abstract
In this exploratory study, perceptions of relative risk held by 120 early adolescents (11–14 years) were examined for 10 hazards—wild animals, fire, nuclear energy, pollution, storms, war, car accidents, people, no food, and drugs. Dissonance was found between perceptions of risk and computed risk associated with factual data. As a group, subjects perceived that war posed the greatest risk and people the least. Female adolescents perceived greater risk than male adolescents for car accidents (p < .08) and for drugs (p < .02). Subjects from the lower community socioeconomic setting (CSES) perceived greater risks than higher CSES subjects for wild animals (p < .01), nuclear energy (p < 01), and drugs (p < .07). Higher CSES subjects perceived more risk than lower CSES subjects for no food (p < .001) and for people (p < .001). Speculations about risk-taking behaviors and recommendations for future research are presented.
