Ten propositions for untangling descriptive and prescriptive lessons in risk perception findings

Psychometric risk perception findings are among the most insightful and widely cited, and undoubtedly the most controversial, of the social science research efforts on technological risk. This paper argues that the controversy arises because of inability to distinguish between the descriptive and prescriptive lessons to be drawn from risk perception studies. Ten propositions about risk perception studies and how to interpret their descriptive and prescriptive implications are provided. The discussion draws on examples from recent ecological risk perception studies and from prescriptive studies involving structured judgment as inputs to analytical comparison of risk management alternatives.