Risk Matrix
What is a societal risk and are societal risks the same as risks for individuals? Those are a few of the questions that makes up the foundation for our Risk Matrix, a pedagogic tool that provides a simple entrance into deeper discussions and problematization of what we perceive as societal risks.
By letting two dimensions of risk: probability and consequence, make up the axis in a risk matrix, participants are invited to choose among a wide array of risks from a risk-catalogue and position the selected risks on the matrix.
Is a nuclear accident more dangerous for society than traffic accidents, disregarding that have been many more fatalities from traffic accidents in Sweden annually than from nuclear accidents? How do we look at certain risks when such events has just come to pass and are high up on the societal agenda, compared to disasters we know will come to pass but are hard to predict when.
Our Risk Matrix consists of a printed matrix where probability and consequence make up the sorting grounds for societal risks, from a catalogue of a wide range of risks, from the fall-related accident to a dam-break and from smoking to global sea-level rise. We use the Risk Matrix in different contexts and for various targets groups, to provide an entrance to how we, as well as different societal actors, perceive societal risk, as well as to delve deeper into problematization of questions regarding accident, crisis, disaster, timeframes, frequencies and consequences.