Building Risk Literacy

Communicating to Create an Informed Public
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-10395-0
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 158 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

This book introduces the concept of "risk literacy" and explores its pivotal role in improving affective, cognitive, and behavioral learning when communicating science focused on complex, risk-related issues.

Risk literacy is both defined as and measured by the ability to understand accurately, evaluate critically, and respond effectively to risks that may pose threats to the health and safety of people, property, and planet. This book helps bridge a gap between scholarly insights and practical applications by introducing “transformative explanations” as a tool for practitioners to engage meaningfully with and improve risk literacy among diverse lay audiences by addressing public misconceptions, rebuilding trust, and fostering collaborative risk mitigation. Each chapter uses real-world vignettes and case studies to illustrate the challenges and opportunities of risk communication, as well as provide communication strategies to build trust, make complex concepts understandable, and propose risk management directives that are both actionable and efficacious to diverse lay audiences.

Building Risk Literacy serves as a practical guide for practitioners and students in fields such as emergency response, public health, climate science, community health, and infrastructure management, while also contributing to the academic discourse on risk and crisis communication.

Zielgruppe

Academic, Postgraduate, and Professional Practice & Development

Autoren/Hrsg.

Pyle, Andrew

Sellnow, Timothy L.

Sellnow, Deanna D.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Kommunikationswissenschaften
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Soziale Folgen von Katastrophen
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizin, Gesundheitswesen Public Health, Gesundheitsmanagement, Gesundheitsökonomie, Gesundheitspolitik
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Sprechwissenschaft, Rhetorik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Risk Communication and Literacy  2. Managing Communication Obstacles and Barriers  3. Making the Most of Opportunities  4. Health Risk Communication  5. Nutrition Risks  6. Climate Communication and Systemic Risk  7. Technological Risks  8. Physical Infrastructure Risks  9. Digital Literacy and Infrastructure Risks  10. Building Sustainable, Risk Literate Publics

Über Autor(innen)

Andrew S. Pyle is Associate Dean of Undergraduate Learning at Clemson University, USA.

Timothy L. Sellnow is Professor of Communication at Clemson University, USA.

Deanna D. Sellnow is Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at Clemson University, USA.