Communicating Risk and Uncertainty II

Wednesday, 9 July 2025: 13:00-14:45
Location: SJES019 (Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences (JES))
TG04 Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty (host committee)

Language: English

This session will explore the multifaceted nature of communicating risk and uncertainty, in the context of a variety of risks, crisis and disasters including the COVID-19 pandemic, war, and climate change.

Understanding risk communication is crucial as it shapes public perception and response. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the complexities of conveying risks and uncertainties, revealing gaps and challenges in existing frameworks. Similarly, conflicts and natural disasters underscore the importance of effective communication strategies in managing crises and mitigating impacts.

We seek contributions that examine how risks are framed and communicated across different social contexts, and how these narratives influence behavior, policy, or societal outcomes. Presentations that develop or discuss theoretical perspectives of communicating risk and uncertainty are especially welcome.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Communication strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Theoretical papers
  • Risk communciation and management in conflict zones
  • The role of media in shaping risk narratives
  • The impact of structural inequalities on risk distribution and communication
  • Case studies of effective or ineffective risk communication in past disasters
Session Organizer:
Kristin SCHARFFSCHER, Norway
Oral Presentations
The Importance of Media Communication during Natural Disasters: A Case Study of the Al Haouz Earthquake in Morocco
Abdelilah ES-SATTE, Ibn Zohr University Agadir, Morocco
War through Images: Visual Communication of the War in Ukraine in Lithuanian Media
Jurgita JURKEVICIENE, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania
The Experts’ Self-Representation. They Mirror Themselves in the Perceptions of the Non-Experts Public(s)
Fabrizio MARTIRE, Sapienza, University of Rome, Italy; Rosario APRILE, Department of communication and social research, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; Marco PALMIERI, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Agent-Based Modeling of Human Behavior in Crises: How Does Risk Perception Spread in Heterogeneous Populations?
Francesca GIARDINI, University of Groningen, Netherlands; Daniele VILONE, National Research Council of Italy, Italy; Lorenzo ZINO, Politecnico di Torino, Italy; Ming CAO, University of Groningen, Netherlands
See more of: TG04 Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty
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