The impact of gender on risk perception: Implications for EU member states’ national risk assessment processes

This study examined the influence of gender on individual risk perception. The analysis covered 17 involuntary risks and examined the effects of gender on three dimensions - likelihood, impact and overall risk rating.

The results showed that while the magnitude and significance of the gender coefficients varied by risk, a general pattern was apparent: females judged involuntary risks as being more likely, having a greater impact, or having a higher overall risk rating than their male counterparts. The impact rating for Fire was the one significant exception to this pattern. These findings highlight how the composition of National Risk Assessment (NRA) focus groups may impact the outputs from Ireland's NRA process and the importance of EU Member States ensuring gender representation within NRA focus groups.