Seeking and avoiding information in a risky world

Introduction. In an era where collective action is necessary to confront societal level risks such as climate change and food safety, we need to better understand how people are motivated to seek risk information that would lead them to make choices and behavioural changes to mitigate those hazards. Method. We selectively review the research in human information behaviour, health information seeking, and risk information seeking in order to identify a set of variables that can influence people’s intention to seek or avoid risk information. Analysis. We analyze and conceptualize the identified variables, and postulate relationships that would link those variables to offer explanations of why and how people seek or avoid information about societal hazards. We formalize those relationships into nine propositions that could guide research into risk information seeking/avoiding. Results. The following factors are postulated to influence risk information seeking/avoiding: perceived hazard characteristics; information sufficiency; affective responses towards hazard; anticipatory affective responses towards seeking; social norms; and social trust. Conclusions. The theoretical framework of variables and propositions developed in the paper can provide a fuller understanding of why and how people seek risk information — a necessary step towards fostering well-informed public understanding and engagement with the threats and hazards challenging society.