The influence of linear and cyclical temporal representations on risk perception of nuclear waste: an experimental study |
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Authors: | Corinne Moser Michael Stauffacher Pius Krütli Roland W. Scholz |
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Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Environmental Decisions (IED), Natural and Social Science Interface (NSSI), ETH Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland corinne.moser@env.ethz.ch;3. Institute of Environmental Decisions (IED), Natural and Social Science Interface (NSSI), ETH Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland |
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Abstract: | Time is an important aspect of the issue of nuclear waste, both from a technical and from a perceptional perspective. Previous studies have investigated the relationship between time and risk perception of nuclear waste, applying the discounting paradigm and therefore limiting time to one very narrow aspect: its duration. However, time is a multifaceted concept and encompasses more than a linear property. The aim of our study is to test the influence of a different aspect of time, namely temporal representations (linear or cyclical) on risk perception of nuclear waste. In an experimental study we demonstrate that both linear and cyclical representations have a reducing effect on risk perception compared to the control condition, where no specific time representation was activated. Examining group differences, we also demonstrate that temporal representations have a differing influence depending on whether participants have a stable belief about nuclear waste or whether they belong to an ambivalent group that does not yet hold a stable belief. Furthermore, we replicate the well-documented gender gap in risk perception. Our results bear potentially interesting implications for risk communication by demonstrating a causal relationship between the graphic representation of time and risk perception of nuclear waste. |
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Keywords: | temporal representation linear and cyclical time nuclear waste risk perception |
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