Mapping the Ecology of Risk: 100 Risky Choices of Modern Life

What are the risky choices people face in our complex and fast-changing world? This article reports on a series of population surveys in Switzerland ( N = 4,380) that collected those risky choices that are relevant in people’s everyday lives. Using this empirical basis, we developed an inventory consisting of 100 unique real-life choices to address open questions regarding the structure, life domains, and stability of the current ecology of risk. Moreover, a follow-up study ( N = 933) indicated some degree of generalizability of the construct of risk preference to the newly identified real-life choices. The five key insights that emerged from our analyses may be useful for researchers studying decision-making under risk and uncertainty (e.g., what criteria to use when developing novel measurement instruments) and policymaking in applied settings (e.g., addressing how swiftly the risks of modern life change).