Attitudes towards risk
Public and institutional tolerance of risk has fallen, with the public increasingly seeking ‘zero’ risk situations. However, whilst the public is concerned by rare risks, it is often unaware of serious risks. Attitudes, driven largely by the media have led to a culture of blame, and as American law firms spread overseas, it has been suggested that Britain is becoming an increasingly litigious society. Will this impact on your events or fundraising, for example? Will it put barriers up between you and your beneficiaries?
What are the implications?
- Changes to how organisations deliver services and interact with their users as they seek to minimise risk.
- A risk that innovative working practices are stifled.
- Barriers to working with more vulnerable groups of people that need more protection, increasing the risk that certain groups become further marginalised.
- Pressure on organisations to keep up to date with changes in legislation (e.g. health and safety) and implement policies and procedures across their organisation.
- Increased pressure to have transparent procedures in place.
- A low tolerance of risk can result in lower trust in institutions, particularly organisations that deliver public services.
- Increased professionalisation of volunteering as more procedures and structures to mitigate against risk are put in place.
- Potential difficulties recruiting volunteers who are concerned about the levels of risk involved
- Increasing regulation of civil life as society seeks to reduce risk
Moving forward
- Does your organisation have the appropriate procedures and policies in place to ensure any potential risks within your organisation are managed?
- Are you transparent about the need, reasons for and implications of these policies and procedures
- Should your organisation be lobbying to make sure that the effects of a risk averse society do not impact unfairly on vulnerable groups of people?
- Do you understand the different laws and policies that your organisation needs to comply with? What do they involve?
- Do you understand the true risks of recruiting volunteers and any work they might carry out? How can you re-assure people about the levels of risk involved?
This is quite an unusual driver - not one that pops into people's heads first! If you need some guidance thinking through the options open to you, have a look at our pages on planning. You need to bear in mind some of the issues here and on our other drivers to feed into your planning. And of course you can join for free to get our ebulletin which will help you think through all these elements of facing the future with confidence.
Want to know more?
Published by: Social Issues Research Centre
Date: 2006
Format: PDF
What is it? Report examining how British society has become more risk adverse in recent years.
How useful is this? This report examines where risk adversity derives from and how it relates to changes in lifestyle in modern Britain. With sections on current anxieties, sources of worry, future worries, the main focus of this study focuses on where risk adversity derives from, and therefore how it can be managed. A mixture of desk based and field based research, the report presents an accessible exploration of the topic.
Other comments:
SCARR: Social contexts and responses to risk
Published by: Various
Date: Ongoing, from 2003
Format: Web pages and PDF
What is it? A joint project between the University of Kent, Economic and Social Research Council and the Sociology of Risk and Uncertainly project, examining all aspects of risk in modern society.
How useful is this? The breadth of research included in this project enables it to offer an in depth exploration of all aspects of risk, risk adversity and risk management from an inter-disciplinary background. Key reports include: Risk perceptions and responses: transitions in the lifecourse; Risk in perspective: private choices and public decisions; Testing the ‘Risk Society’ hypothesis; Public understanding of regimes of risk regulation.
Other comments: This is an ongoing project and new findings and publications are therefore regularly updated.
Unkind, risk averse and untrusting - if this is today's society, can we change it?
Published by: Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2008
Format: PDF
What is it? A viewpoint report examining the alleged ‘decline in values’ in British society, including risk-adversity.
How useful is this? This report challenges the alleged ‘social evils’; the belief that society has become obsessed by self, the result of which has been a decline in values, including risk-adversity. It examines why these occur, and presents simple solutions to challenge these new norms. This report examines what has driven these changes in society, and looks at how increasing risk-adversity, including checks and controls have caused people to withdraw within themselves.
Other comments: Part of the ‘social evils’ debate conducted by JRF.
Discuss
How will this affect your organisation? Have you considered it during your strategic planning? Can you share any interesting relevant links?
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