Self–Other Differences in H1N1 Flu Risk Perception in a Global Context: A Comparative Study Between the United States and China

Abstract

Extending research on self–other differences in perception to a global health risk, this study compares U.S. and Chinese college students’ perceived H1N1 flu risk at four levels: personal, group, societal, and global. It also examines how personal experience, interpersonal communication, traditional and Internet-based media, and self-efficacy affect perception at four levels, as well as the self–other differences between the personal level and each of the other three levels. An online survey in both countries reveals an “ascending pattern,” showing higher perceived risk for others than for selves. Chinese respondents perceive higher risk than U.S. respondents at all levels. Interpersonal communication predicts risk perception at four levels in the United States and at the group and societal levels in China. New media exposure exerts influence on all but the group level in China, while social networking sites (SNS) exposure predicts group- and societal-level risk perception in the United States. The overall attention paid to H1N1 information in the media affects all levels in both countries. Interaction between media exposure and attention is influential at all levels in the United States. Self-efficacy is negatively associated with risk perception in China except at the global level. Attention to media in the United States, and SNS exposure in China, explain the self–other differences in three comparisons, along with self-efficacy, which decreases the self–other gap in the United States while increasing the gap in China.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was partially supported by a grant from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University. An earlier version of this article was presented at the 2011 ICA annual conference in Boston, MA. The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers and the editor, Dr. Teresa Thompson, for their insightful and constructive comments. The authors also thank Dr. Jie Li for her assistance with this study.