Risk Perception and Belief in Guardian Spirits

People do not respond directly to the risks around them, but rather to their perception of those risks. These perceptions can be affected by many factors, including the degree to which people feel protected, and within that context beliefs in guardian angels or spirits can be a significant factor in some cases. In a survey of risk perception, it is shown that this belief does correlate with how people perceive risk, but in a complex way that may increase or decrease risk-taking behavior, with the latter being the more dominant theme.