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ABSTRACT
The number of people using mobile phones has dramatically increased. At the same time, many people are unsettled about the potential health effects from the electromagnetic fields generated by mobile phone base stations. Research indicates that the risks associated with base stations are perceived differently by experts, laypeople, and base station opponents. Using a free association method, we analyzed these differences in more detail. In our first study, we found no difference between experts and laypeople but a marked distinction in the associations of opponents as opposed to the first two groups. The prevalence of free associations in a large random sample from the general population was explored via correspondence analysis in the second study. People who assign high risks to mobile communication had different, more negative associations in mind (e.g., “senselessness,” “hazard”) compared to people with low risk-perception (e.g., “mast,” “acceptance”). Our research is in line with the assumption that the affect heuristic guides risk and benefit assessments, and highlights the role of affect in risk perception and communication.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This study was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation as part of a National Research Program on “Non-Ionizing Radiation—Health and Environment” (NRP 57). The authors thank Alexandra Zingg for her indispensable practical support.
Notes
The category synonyms had a cell frequency <1, so logistic regression and analysis of variance could not be applied.
The response rate was calculated as: Response rate = (number of completed interviews)/ (number in sample-number not eligible).