Perceived vs. objective risk: the impact of environmental threats on public health concerns and policy support

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This study aims to understand two main aims: (1) whether environmental threats impact people's perception of risk to their health and (2) whether support or opposition to environmental-health policies is associated with objective hazard levels and/or risk perception. Using data from a 2021 probability sample of Texas adults, we link respondents’ ZIP codes to a cumulative count of nearby toxic-substance sites to measure objective exposure and use a validated multi-item index to measure perceived risk. We then test whether exposure and perception predict environmental-health policy support. We find that residents in areas with more toxic sites report significantly higher concern about environmental threats. However, objective exposure does not directly predict policy support; instead, support is driven by perceived risk, consistent with risk-perception theory. Results underscore the central role of public awareness and risk communication in mobilising support for environmental-health regulation. Visibility and familiarity of hazards may heighten concern. Our contribution extends beyond climate-risk studies by focusing on toxic-site exposure.