The Role of Social Networks in the Formation of Risk Perceptions About Low Dose Radiation Risks: Social and Environmental Research Institute (SERI)

This project was funded through a subcontract with Decision Research, Inc., Eugene, Oregon.

August 2000 - September 2002.

We studied how perceptions of low dose radiation risks develop in a social setting. The Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) and Brookhaven National Laboratory provided case studies of low level exposures to radiation in the community. The research inquired into the ways that risk perceptions develop through social interaction. Specifically, 1) the ways that social networks shaped the flow of risk information and 2) the ways that interaction within and among networks shaped individuals’ risk perceptions of the public health risks from historical contamination and future use.

We found, first, that networks can have three functions in risk communication: a) facilitate learning about risks, b) mediate the flow of information from one group to another, and c) generate their own information about risks that they communicate to others. Second, networks establish and modify relationships that can influence how risks are perceived. Third, new networks can emerge through the actions of agencies by being a point of convergence for individuals from other social networks. These findings suggest that theories of risk perception and risk communication need to account for social interactions to capture the relevance that existing or newly established groups play in the social understanding of risks.

Publications and Reports

Tuler, S. 2002. Radiation Risk Perception and Communication: A Case Study of the Fernald Environmental Management Project. SERI Report 02-001. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)

Webler, T. 2002. Radiation Risk Perception and Communication: A Case Study of the Tritium Controversy at Brookhaven National Laboratory. SERI Report 02-002. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)

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All material © SERI unless otherwise noted.			This project was funded through a subcontract with Decision Research, Inc., Eugene, Oregon. August 2000 - September 2002. Project Overview We studied how perceptions of low dose radiation risks develop in a social setting. The Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) and Brookhaven National Laboratory provided case studies of low level exposures to radiation in the community. The research inquired into the ways that risk perceptions develop through social interaction. Specifically, 1) the ways that social networks shaped the flow of risk information and 2) the ways that interaction within and among networks shaped individuals’ risk perceptions of the public health risks from historical contamination and future use. We found, first, that networks can have three functions in risk communication: a) facilitate learning about risks, b) mediate the flow of information from one group to another, and c) generate their own information about risks that they communicate to others. Second, networks establish and modify relationships that can influence how risks are perceived. Third, new networks can emerge through the actions of agencies by being a point of convergence for individuals from other social networks. These findings suggest that theories of risk perception and risk communication need to account for social interactions to capture the relevance that existing or newly established groups play in the social understanding of risks. Publications and Reports Tuler, S. 2002. Radiation Risk Perception and Communication: A Case Study of the Fernald Environmental Management Project. SERI Report 02-001. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available) Webler, T. 2002. Radiation Risk Perception and Communication: A Case Study of the Tritium Controversy at Brookhaven National Laboratory. SERI Report 02-002. Greenfield, MA: Social and Environmental Research Institute. (PDF available)