When Scientific Uncertainty is Linked to Lower Information Avoidance: Motivational Pathways to Public Engagement With Climate Risk Information.

Authors

Soo Jung Hong

Published in

Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis. Volume 46. Issue 11.

Abstract

This study examines how scientific uncertainty is associated with both appetitive and aversive motivations, as well as its direct and indirect associations with risk information avoidance (RIA). Drawing on Liu and Chen's (2026) appetitive-aversive motivational framework, based on the Planned Risk Information Avoidance (PRIA) model, we investigate how uncertainty relates to information avoidance through risk perception, perceived information insufficiency, informational efficacy, information overload, information-seeking norms, and negative emotions. Using structural equation modeling with a US adult sample, the findings indicate that scientific uncertainty is negatively associated with information avoidance and is linked to multiple motivational pathways. Specifically, higher scientific uncertainty is associated with greater risk perceptions and information insufficiency, and with lower levels of information overload, which in turn correspond to reduced avoidance intentions. These findings provide insight into the role of scientific uncertainty in shaping RIA, highlighting its potential to reduce avoidance in the context of climate change.

PMID:
43003784
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Nov 2026.

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