The impact of preventive-measure information and terrorism-related entertainment media on risk perception: Investigating the role of affective state, individual differences, and institutional credibility

Risk-communication messages are often disseminated through the media. This research explored whether terrorism-related themes currently present in entertainment media moderate the perceived risk of a public-health threat. In addition, the direct impact of anticipatory emotions, those experienced at the time of decision making, on risk perception has been proposed (e.g., risk-as-feelings hypothesis; Loewenstein et al., 2001), and recent research has suggested that discrete emotions such as fear and anger have different effects on risk perception (e.g., Lerner & Keltner, 2001). Thus, the impact of affect on risk perception was explored. The third independent variable examined was the high-benefit or low-benefit frame in which the benefit of adopting a preventive measure is presented. Because risk perception is moderated by individual-level variables, involvement, information seeking, sensation seeking, manifest anxiety, and fantasy proneness were measured. Finally, media use and institutional credibility were examined as potential social-level moderators. A 3 (terrorism-related television) x 3 (benefit frame) experiment was conducted (N = 292). Affective state was manipulated with the television-show stimuli, after which a press conference announced a local public-health emergency and suggested preventive measures that could be adopted with varied rates of success (benefit frame). Risk perception and institutional credibility measures were completed after exposure to the experimental stimuli. The results revealed an impact of affective state, exposure to terrorism-related television shows, and benefit frame on risk perception and behavioral intention. Although affect scales had a significant effect, differences between the discrete emotions, such as interested and upset, were found. Viewing terrorism-related television increased two common indicators of risk perception (worry about risk and likely-to-contract), whereas benefit frame impacted behavioral intentions, institutional credibility, and confidence to find information, but not risk perception. Involvement with the issue, information seeking, and sensation seeking were all significant moderators of risk perception, with a very limited impact of manifest anxiety and fantasy proneness also found. In general, the results suggest that institutional credibility is an important moderator of risk-communication; however, the effects vary according to the specific organization. Implications for risk communication and public relations practitioners were considered.