Objective of the research project "RisikoAtlas"

The objective of the RisikoAtlas is to enhance consumers' abilities to deal with risks and uncertainty. This means that necessary competences are promoted to read information more critically and to make informed decisions in risk or uncertainty situations. This is necessary because everyday risks and chances are often not correctly assessed and statistical representations in the media are rarely understood. In order to support consumers in their decisions, digital tools based on scientific results were developed at the Harding Center for Risk Literacy at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development: Interactive visualisations of evidence-based risk communication and learning visualisations to improve risk literacy, as well as an app for decision support and a browser extension for risk reading assistance. The development of these tools was accompanied by a comprehensive research program.

In the context of the project, psychological predispositions in particular were researched, for example which representation of decision-supporting information is understood. Experts assessed relevant criteria in topic-specific studies and participated through their feedback in expert interviews. Building onto this, the tools were developed and evaluated together with consumers. The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag. The project was funded by the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) as part of the programme to promote innovation.

The project began in July 2016. The research report will be published on 30 June 2020.