Abstract
The current study investigated public perceptions of risk in missing person cases. A total of 271 participants were sequentially presented with five fictional vignettes describing missing individuals. Each case included a baseline description of the disappearance being "out of character" and four of these cases were paired with an additional risk factor: substance abuse, depression, dementia, or repeat missing status. The gender of the missing person was also manipulated between participants. Participants rated each case using both the standard categorical scale (Low/Medium/High) and an Extended Scale ranging from 1 to 7 and were also invited to respond to exploratory items about their reasoning and risk perceptions. As expected, conditions associated with vulnerability or external dependence, particularly dementia, were rated highest in risk; whereas repeat missing cases were consistently perceived as lower risk. Female cases were rated slightly higher than male cases in the out-of-character condition, but no overall gender effect was found across scenarios. Our results also highlighted how subjective interpretations of risk categories can vary significantly depending on the case context, with medium-risk ratings spanning a wide range of scores. This suggests a need to refine the application of categorical labels to ensure more consistent and meaningful assessments. Future research should explore additional factors such as ethnicity and age.
Recommended Citation
Lockett, H., & Juncu, S. (2026). Public Perception of Risk in Missing Persons Investigations. International Journal of Missing Persons, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.55917/2769-7045.1018
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