Abstract:
In this experimental study, we compare the influence of risk communication in the form of stories versus statistics on the level of investment in a resilience-promoting activity. We also analyze how this influence interacts with time gap and with an individual's preferences for risk and numbers. The results indicate that individuals invest more in a resilience-promoting activity when communication comes as a story. This finding holds irrespective of an individual's risk preference. The results did not confirm the expectation that communication in story form leads to a more enduring effect than communication in statistical form. The expectation that the preference for numbers influences the effectiveness of a specific communication form was also not confirmed.
