Notions of Risk

One of the most signifi cant issues in the gap between pro-vaccinators and anti-vaccinators is the diff erence in the vernacular construction of risk versus medical constructions. Eff ective health education requires understanding where these constructions overlap and where they diff er, how risk and benefi t are defi ned and weighed, and the relationship between objective and subjective experience. Powell and Leiss, in their extensive work on risk and the perception of risk, state that the problems with risk communication derive from the diff erences in the languages used scientifi c and statistical vs intuitively grounded (Powell and Leiss 1997: 26). Powell and Leiss also discuss some of the barriers between the languages used, such as the scientifi c views of the “expert” versus the intuitive views of the “public”. They also note that “expert” assessment is probabilistic, concerned with acceptable risk, burdened by the changeability of knowledge, values population averages, and sees “a death as a death” (Powell and Leiss 1997: 27). The public is looking for “yes or no” answers, is concerned with safety over acceptable risk, wants to know if something is true or not, values personal consequences, and feels that it matters how a person dies (Powell and Leiss 1997: 27).