Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

This paper is an analysis of the results of a questionnaire, distributed during the Open Days at the Fire Research Station in 1972, which was designed to assess public awareness of risks and attitudes towards risks for the purpose of helping to establish a rational basis for expenditure on safety measures. The questions examine the perceived causes of accidents, the effects of magnitude and frequency of accidents on public concern, public assessment of relative risks, and willingness to take risks. The sample was biased but some tentative conclusions are possible.