This post is an abstract of my Master 1 thesis about non-scientist beliefs, risk perception and their probably connections.
Introduction
We know that the people are influences by the environment. Behaviors, decisions, attitudes are determined by their groups membership, their socials representation and by their beliefs. Beliefs are fundamentals in our adaptation and representation’s construction. Therefore, we can affirm that beliefs are a reading system of the world and our actions are made beside it.
Risk perception can be consider as a reading system, which allows our adaptation too. This perception is complex; we find many influences in its construction like media, individual beliefs and death toll.
This work is about non-scientist beliefs and their construction. This research is intended to be an explanation of these beliefs and to better understand influencing factors.
By their similarity and beliefs’ impact in the construction of this perception, this study will investigate theirs connections and their reciprocal influence. Thus, the aim is to specify knowledge about beliefs especially non-scientist beliefs.
Theory
Thus, it is important to define central terms of this study. In the common sense, beliefs are associated with faith, religion or fantastic. We can defined them as believing something true, likely or possible. Social psychology investigated belief because of their influence on our behaviors. Concept of belief is associated with many other concepts as social representation or collective beliefs. Therefore, they is no consensus definition about belief.
However, we can consider belief as a knowledge system without scientific demonstration. We oppose them to scientific knowledge, which are associated with rationality. Nevertheless, we can consider that belief has its own rationality. It is more like a rationality continuum where we can find belief and scientific knowledge. Non-scientist beliefs are associated with strange or paranormal. For example, we can find the belief of the life after death or new age belief. Their adhesion is influenced by different factors like gender, age, education…
Afterwards, risk is a probability of damage. Thus, we can define risk perception as information processing, which consider risk and benefice of the situation. With this system, we can adapt our behaviors about the risk. Risk’s factors (as death toll) and individuals’ factors as system’s belief influence this perception.
Hypothesis
The aim of the study is to investigate adhesion’s factors of non-scientist beliefs and if the perception of risk can be ones of theirs determinants.
We made two hypothesis:
- On one side, adhesion of the non-scientist beliefs depends of socio-democratic variables : gender, age, education and marital status.
- On the other side, there is a relation between the level of risk perception and belief adhesion : risk perception increase adhesion.
Method
Participants have completed two surveys on the internet: Scale of non-scientist beliefs (Roussiau, Jmel, Bailly & Renard, 2016) and scale of risk perception (Bouyeur et al., 2001). As well as a sociodemographic questionnaire (age, gender, level of study and marital status) has been proposed.
The sample of this study was composed of 81 students in second year and third year (L2 and L3) with an average age of 21.07 years.
Results
The first hypothesis have been partially confirmed, we found that gender, age or education can influence adhesion on some type of belief. For example, women believe in “health and spirituality” and the “life after death” more than man. However, sociodemographic variables’ influence is more important in the literature than in the result of the first hypothesis.
The second hypothesis has been confirmed : level of risk perception and non-scientist belief are related. Indeed, we associate a lower risk perception with a lower belief adhesion.
Discussion & Conclusion
Therefore, results of this study vary of literature results. We found a minor influence of social-demographic factor in adhesion of non-scientist beliefs whereas we know that young women are more believer than man or older people. We can explain these results by the important place of health and spirituality beliefs in our society. Today, this kind of belief are separated from belief as life after death or fantastic creature.
However, the more important explication is the level of risk perception. This result confirm that risk perception and adhesion of non-scientist beliefs are related. Indeed, we found that a lower level of risk perception is associated with a lower belief adhesion. Thus, we can affirm that, besides theirs association, risk perception system participate of individual belief system.
To conclude, this study allows to specify knowledge about non-scientist beliefs. We shown that health and spiritualty belief can be separated of the others beliefs. Furthermore, age, gender and education are moderated factors of belief system. Finally, risk perception can be considerate as the higher influence factor in its construction.
Keywords: non-scientist beliefs, risk perception, system construction
Words I have learned
- Non-scientist beliefs : croyances “ascientifiques”
- Therefore : donc, par conséquent
- Allow to : permet de
- Furthermore : en outre de, de plus