Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Risk and Uncertainty
Publication Date
8-2006
ISSN
0895-5646
Page Number
13
Keywords
disaster, risk belief, compassion, flood, terrorism, Lorenz Curve
Disciplines
Disaster Law | Law
Abstract
A nationally representative sample of respondents estimated their fatality risks from four types of natural disasters, and indicated whether they favored governmental disaster relief. For all hazards, including auto accident risks, most respondents assessed their risks as being below average, with one-third assessing them as average. Individuals from high-risk states, or with experience with disasters, estimate risks higher, though by less than reasonable calculations require. Four-fifths of our respondents favor government relief for disaster victims, but only one-third do for victims in high-risk areas. Individuals who perceive themselves at higher risk are more supportive of government assistance.
Recommended Citation
W. Kip Viscusi and Richard J. Zeckhauser,
National Survey Evidence on Disasters and Relief: Risk Beliefs, Self-Interest, and Compassion, 33 Journal of Risk and Uncertainty. 13
(2006)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty-publications/92