79-12-B8

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Living Dangerously Sometimes

Transcript Would you pay $200 for possible protection from a cause of death which kills one out of every 7,000 Americans each year? I'm talking about automobile accidents. The federal government has decided that you will. It has ordered American automakers to include airbags as standard safety equipment on all new cars, beginning in 1984. But polling research conducted by Gene Pokorny for "Public Opinion" magazine indicates that the majority of Americans oppose airbags. The costs are not worth the benefits. We are faced with questions such as this every day. Recognizing that there are risks inherent in modern living, Mr. Pokorny set out to discover just how much risk Americans are willing to take in order to enjoy all the benefits of an industrialized society. His findings are interesting. Pokorny's first discovery is that the environmentalists have apparently left a deep imprint on many Americans. You could say they have succeeded in scaring the majority into believing that the dangers to a person's health and safety are greater today than fifty years ago. They believe this despite clear advancements in medicine, transportation and occupational safety, and longer life expectancies. However, while a majority feel that environmental factors have placed their lives in greater danger, an equally sizable majority believe that the benefits they receive from modern life are equal to or greater than the risks. And Americans are sharply divided over whose responsibility it is to reduce risks such as pollution, travel hazards or a potentially harmful product. Forty percent say that the government should play an active role in reducing these risks through regulation. Of late, the federal government has certainly taken this forty percent up on their belief. But forty-five percent say it is the responsibility of the individual-- not government--to make himself aware of potential hazards and to make intelligent choices, balancing risks versus benefits. Pokorny discovered that most Americans have a rule of thumb by which they determine whether or not the government should take charge in reducing an environmental risk. In cases such as the use of airbags or saccharin, most Americans believe that the federal government has no business making consumer choices for them. But Americans are more likely to accept some kind of government watch-dog role in controlling potential hazards over which the individual has less control--for example, air pollution. Pokorny found that the great majority of Americans look at life realistically: seventy-two percent believe that no matter what we do, it is just not possible to create a society without risk. But more interestingly, even if it were possible, about forty percent say that they wouldn't want to live in a risk-free society anyway. The costs would be too great in comfort and personal freedom. A society without risks would most likely be one without opportunities, too. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 79-12-B8 Production Date 08/??/1979 Book/Page Online PDF Audio Youtube? No
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