Risk communication design: Video vs. text

Abstract

There are significant differences between older and younger adults in terms of risk perception and risk behaviors offline. The previously unexplored existence of this dissimilitude online is the motivation for our work. What are the risk perceptions of older adults? How are these correlated with the classic dimensions of risk perception offline? Can we leverage episodic memory, particularly relevant for older adults, to increase the efficacy of risk communication? We conduct a survey based experiment with two groups: video (n=136) and text (113). We find that leveraging episodic memory using video risk communication can improve the ability of elders to avoid phishing attacks and downloading malware. The applicability of the dimensions of risk were different based not only the risk but also the mode of risk communication. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.