When We Don’t Want to Know More: Information Sufficiency and the Case of Swedish Flood Risks

Authors

  • Yuliya Lakew Department of Media and Communications, Jonkoping University College
  • Ulrika Olausson Department of Media and Communications, Jonkoping University College

Keywords:

risk perception, information insufficiency, risk sensitivity, information need

Abstract

This study investigates the phenomenon of information (in)sufficiency in the context of flood risks. Individuals’ perception of how much risk information they need is a major trigger and driver of information-seeking behavior, and therefore it is an important part of creating effective preventive risk-communication campaigns. To understand factors that contribute to individuals’ sense of information (in)sufficiency, the roles played by prior experiences of floods and general risk sensitivity were analyzed using survey data from residents in flood-risk zones. The findings highlight that every third respondent reported a state of information sufficiency. Residents with prior experience evaluate their information sufficiency level based on their perception of consequences of future floods. But it is general risk sensitivity that best explains need for more information.

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Published

2023-03-17

How to Cite

Yuliya Lakew, & Ulrika Olausson. (2023). When We Don’t Want to Know More: Information Sufficiency and the Case of Swedish Flood Risks. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research , 6(1), 65–90. Retrieved from http://jicrcr.com/index.php/jicrcr/article/view/73

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Articles