"Not in my back yard": Influence of motivational concerns on judgments about a risky technology

Abstract

Examined whether judgments about the risks and benefits of a potentially hazardous technology vary as a function of whether or not that technology occurs in "one's own back yard." 67 20–88 yr old residents of coastal or inland areas (Santa Monica [SM] and Ontario, California) judged the impacts of off-shore oil drilling at SM or Mobile, Alabama, on several risk- and benefit-related attributes. A multiattribute utility analysis revealed that the utility of offshore development correlated .70 with overall attitudes. The main factors that contributed to this attitude were the ratings of the risks and the weights attached to overall risk concerns. SM Ss perceived the risks to be greater when the development would occur in SM Bay than Mobile Bay; an opposite trend was found for Ontario Ss. SM Ss placed 79% of the weight on risk concerns when the drilling would be in their own vicinity but placed only 45% of the weight on such concerns when it would be in another area; the weights given by Ontario Ss were independent of location. All Ss perceived that SM development would produce less benefits. Regardless of the drilling location, SM Ss perceived the risks to be greater and the benefits to be smaller than did Ontario Ss. (18 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)