Occupation, risk culture, and risk perception: empirical evidence from China on COVID-19

Abstract

Understanding the differences in risk perception among various groups is crucial for policy development, and the cultural theory of risk provides significant insights into these group variations. Utilising data from Mainland China during the COVID-19 pandemic, we constructed a structural model that encompasses occupational background, risk culture, and risk perception, examining the interplay between these elements. Our findings reveal that risk culture, as initially conceptualised by Mary Douglas, acts as a mediating factor between occupational roles and the differences in risk perception, offering a deeper understanding of how diverse risk perceptions are shaped across distinct demographic groups. This study underscores the importance of considering cultural factors in risk perception and provides valuable guidance for the development of targeted risk communication and intervention policies.

Keywords:

• Occupation
• cultural theory
• risk perception
• Covid-19
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [72174201].