Smoking: Making the Risky Decision - Hardcover

Viscusi, W. Kip

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195074866 ISBN 13: 9780195074864

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1992

Synopsis

Are the risks of smoking exaggerated? Has there been an open and rational discussion about the risks of smoking? This book attempts to answer these and many other questions about smoking. It provides a detailed empirical presentation on smoking behavior as a risky consumer decision. Using new empirical data based on several national and regional surveys, Viscusi addresses several issues, including: the sources of information that people have about the risks of smoking, the accuracy of their perceptions of risks associated with smoking, and the consistency of smoking decisions with other risky behavior--scrutinizing issues such as whether smokers value risk differently than those who wear safety belts. Viscusi also looks at the differences in age groups and how they assess these risks based on public information. He provides new insight into the degree to which individuals understand smoking risks and take these risks into account in their smoking behavior. With its detailed empirical data and its examination of individual decision-making processes, this work will interest researchers in public health, public policy analysis, psychology, and economics, as well as anyone concerned with this important issue.

About this title

About the Author

W. Kip Viscusi, John F. Cogan, Jr. Professor of Law and Economics, Harvard Law School.

From the Back Cover

Are the risks of smoking exaggerated? Has there been an open and rational discussion about the risks of smoking? This book attempts to answer these and many other questions about the subject, providing a detailed empirical presentation on smoking behavior as a risky consumer decision. Using new empirical data based on several national and regional surveys, Viscusi addresses a number of important issues, including: the sources of information that people have about the risks of smoking, the accuracy of their perceptions of the risks associated with smoking, and the consistency of smoking decisions with other risky behavior - scrutinizing issues such as whether smokers value risk differently than those who wear safety belts. Viscusi also looks at the differences in age groups and how they assess these risks based on public information. He provides new insight into the degree to which individuals understand smoking risks and take these risks into account in their behavior. With its detailed empirical data and its examination of individual decision-making processes, this work will interest researchers in public health, public policy, psychology, and economics, as well as anyone concerned with this important issue.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195074866
• ISBN 13: 9780195074864
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 184