The affect heuristic and perceptions of ‘the young smoker’ as a risk object

Abstract

Young people's perceptions of the health risks associated with smoking are explored with specific reference to the affect heuristic. It is argued that young people's perceptions of the risks associated with smoking will be influenced by their feelings about those of their own age who smoke. ‘The young smoker’ is therefore treated as a risk object. Findings are based on a survey of 15–16 year olds in the East Midlands of England (n = 466). A range of feelings about ‘the young smoker’ were evident and these were broadly consistent with the risk discourse of contemporary health education. However, among those in this survey there was not a clear and unified affect towards the risk object and, indeed, there was a notable level of ambivalence and uncertainty in terms of feelings about ‘the young smoker’. Overall, there was a reluctance to demonise the young smoker or to project onto the young smoker the kind of negative aspects of risk (fear, loathing and dread) that would allow them to function in terms of ‘Otherness’. The implications of these findings are considered in the context of western society in the era of late modernity.

Keywords:

• risk
• risk perception
• young people
• smoking
• affect heuristic

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this work was presented to the Managing the Social Impacts of Change from a Risk Perspective conference, Beijing, April 2009. Support for this was received from the Social Context and Responses to Risk (SCARR) network, from Beijing Normal University, and from British Academy travel grant #OCG 51520.