Insights on risk perception: The case of Friuli Venezia Giulia

Existing risk research usually does not contemplate the landscape dimension as a category of risk, thereby failing to consider whether the conditions of local landscapes are a source of individual concern. A study involving members of the University of Udine was conducted in 2018 to explore, through an online survey, what opinions of the surrounding environment respondents have, specifically if they perceive the existence of situations of degradation, and what their risk perception is. Survey data are therefore used to explore the judgments of locals towards risk and how intensely different situations of risks are felt. The Categorical Principal Components Analysis was conducted to verify if demographic characteristics influence risk perception. We found that respondents are primarily concerned with the risks linked to the abandonment of buildings for industrial, commercial and military uses. The statistical procedure revealed that women and older people have a higher risk perception.