Onderzoek en beleid over beoordeling van riskante activiteiten

Samenvatting

Between Apr 1978 & Oct 1979 a large-scale psychometric field study was conducted into the personal judgment of risky activities in & outside the Netherlands' greater Rotterdam harbor area. Presented is a review of the development of this risk project, its data collection plan, & some of the main results. Structured interviews were conducted with 700 adults. The stimulus basis consisted of descriptions of 26 risk activities, eg, airplane travel within Europe, smoking in bed, & shipping chlorine by train. These activities were ranked according to perceived risk & social protection afforded. Unstructured personal comments were also elicited. An account is given of the different motivations & expectations of various sponsors & psychological investigators. Several aftereffects are described, most of which emerged & were monitored in close interaction between the investigators & representatives of authorities concerned with safety policies. Discussed are some characteristic aspects of the relationship between researchers-having a tendency toward theoretical perfection-& policymakers, often waiting impatiently for practical suggestions. 2 Figures. Modified HA.