The Influence of Mass Media and Interpersonal Communication on Societal and Personal Risk Judgments

Abstract

The study described in this article examines the influences of mass media, interpersonal channels, and self-efficacy on risk judgment, using data from a sample of New York State residents. Risk judgment is conceptualized on two distinct domains: personal-level risk judgment and social-level risk judgment. The health and risk communication literature suggests that mass media channels are more likely to influence social-level risk judgment, and the current study bears out this hypothesis. But, unlike typical findings, personal-level risk was found to be influenced, to some degree, by mass media channels. Interpersonal channels account for a portion of the variance on social-level risk judgment, as does self-efficacy. The health risks examined include heart disease, AIDS, smoking, and hazards from drinking water, household radon, chemicals on food, household chemicals, and low-level radioactive waste.