Cigarette Smoking and Perceived Risk: A Multidimensional Investigation

Abstract

In this study, the authors use marketing's perceived risk literature to specify and examine the influence of five different types (i.e., addiction, financial, health, time, and social) of perceived risk on young adults’ cigarette smoking behavior. Using a cross-sectional design, they survey the smoking perceptions and behavior of 292 college students, 18 to 25 years of age. Although bivariate analysis suggests that smokers have lower perceptions for all five types of risks than nonsmokers do, a multivariate analysis reveals that only addiction and financial risks are related significantly to current smoking status. In addition, the impact of addiction risk on smoking behavior is moderated by a person's level of risk acceptability. The authors discuss the implications of the findings for public policymakers and offer a set of issues for further research in this domain.