Are people acting irrationally? Understanding public concerns about environmental threats.

News stories about environmental events illustrate public concerns about environmental policy and regulations . Increasingly, public perceptions of risk and fear of cancer are influencing the development ofpublicpolicy regarding the environment . Policymakers have often regarded these public concerns as irrational. The purpose ofthis article is to describe how psychological research can be used to understand the public's concerns about environmental threats and to discuss the irrationality ofthese concerns . Examples are drawnfrom research on perceived risk and fear ofcancer, and roles are suggestedfor psychology and psychologists in informing environmental policymaking .