Keeping Risk in Proportion? How Exemplars Amplify Risk Perceptions in Low-Risk Audiences

This study tests and extends propositions within exemplification theory by examining audience responses to a news story about a low-risk event, specifically, water contamination that poses minimal direct threat to the study participants. Using a Solomon four-group design (N = 559), the study assesses how exemplars in news coverage shape audience judgments, including perceived risk, intended behaviors, and attitudes toward organizations similar to those portrayed in the story. In line with exemplification theory, results show that exemplars significantly elevate perceived risk severity, increase the likelihood of intentions to change behaviors, and shape attitudes toward comparable institutions. These findings underscore the heuristic power of exemplars in guiding audience judgments and reveal important considerations for message design, particularly in the context of crisis communication and public risk perception. Societally, judicious use of exemplars can mobilize protective action and resource allocation without unduly amplifying anxiety, especially for communities that disproportionately bear environmental risk.