Mapping the Ecology of Risk: 100 Risky Choices of Modern Life

Psychological Science · 2025 · Volume 36 · Issue 11

Abstract

What are the risky choices people face in our complex and fast-changing world? This article reports on a series of population surveys in Switzerland ( N = 4,380) that collected those risky choices that are relevant in people’s everyday lives. Using this empirical basis, we developed an inventory consisting of 100 unique real-life choices to address open questions regarding the structure, life domains, and stability of the current ecology of risk. Moreover, a follow-up study ( N = 933) indicated some degree of generalizability of the construct of risk preference to the newly identified real-life choices. The five key insights that emerged from our analyses may be useful for researchers studying decision-making under risk and uncertainty (e.g., what criteria to use when developing novel measurement instruments) and policymaking in applied settings (e.g., addressing how swiftly the risks of modern life change).

Keywords

risky choices, risk taking, risk preference, data-driven inventory

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