I enthusiastically recommend:
Kraus, Malmfors, and Slovic. 1992. "Intuitive Toxicology: Expert and
Lay Judgments of Chemical Risks." *Risk Analysis* 12, pp.215-32.
This article parallels my findings on systematic belief differences
between economists and the public. It shows that similar systematic
differences exist for toxicology, providing a plausible voter-driven
mechanism for misguided environmental policy.
For example, large percentages of the public believes that "any" amount
of a substance poses a serious risk, while professional toxicologists
know that dosage is everything. Almost all toxicologists - whether they
work in government, academia, or industry - recognize that chemicals are
a net benefit to mankind, but much of the public disagrees.
Delli Carpini and Keeter found that education and being male predict
significantly higher political knowledge. I found the same pattern for
economics in my JLE piece. Kraus, Malmfors, and Slovic get an identical
result for toxicology - the well-educated and males "think more like
toxicologists."
--
Prof. Bryan Caplan
Department of Economics George Mason University
http://www.bcaplan.com [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"He wrote a letter, but did not post it because he felt that no one
would have understood what he wanted to say, and besides it was not
necessary that anyone but himself should understand it."
Leo Tolstoy, *The Cossacks*
