Dread risks

It is a well-established fact that many people view the prospect of premature death by some causes with considerably more disquiet or “dread” than death by other causes. It is equally clear that for most people their personal risk of death by a given cause is also a matter of serious concern. This article reports the findings of a study aimed at estimating the effects of dread and personal risk of death by a specific cause on the willingness-to-pay based Value of Statistical Life (VSL) for that cause. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2006