Reduced Risk Information Seeking Model (RISK): A Meta-Analysis

• Published in: Science communication Vol. 44; no. 6; pp. 787 - 813
• Main Authors: Liu, Zhuling, Yang, Janet Zheng, Feeley, Thomas Hugh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-12-2022; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Information retrieval; Meta-analysis; Norms; Risk analysis; Risk management; Risk perception; information sufficiency threshold; impersonal risk; informational subjective norms; current knowledge; information seeking
• ISSN: 1075-5470; 1552-8545
• DOI: 10.1177/10755470221144453

This meta-analysis synthesizes research findings from 50 studies to assess the explanatory power of the reduced risk information seeking model (RISK). The results show that informational subjective norms have the largest effect size, followed by sufficiency threshold and current knowledge. This finding suggests that risk information seeking behavior is largely determined by social motivations. In addition, the relationships between current knowledge and seeking, as well as between sufficiency threshold and seeking, are stronger when a risk is viewed as personally relevant. Moreover, the relationship between current knowledge and seeking is stronger in studies where participants report higher risk perception.