Perceived Risk Scale

What it measures

Measures the subjective uncertainty and adverse consequences consumers associate with purchase decisions across five risk dimensions. Jacoby & Kaplan's multidimensional framework is foundational to consumer risk research. Perceived risk is a key barrier to purchase, especially in high-involvement and online contexts.

Response format

Likert (1–7, not at all risky to extremely risky)

Scale items

Financial Risk (Likert 1–7, not at all risky to very risky)

• I would lose money if this purchase doesn't work out as well as I expect.
• The overall cost of this product, including purchase price and related costs, would be high.
• If this product doesn't perform well, I will have wasted a lot of money.

Performance Risk

• There is a chance that this product will not work properly.
• The quality of this product may not be as high as I expect.
• This product may not do the things it's supposed to do.

Physical/Safety Risk

• This product could be harmful to my health or safety.
• Using this product might result in physical injury.
• There is potential for this product to cause physical harm.

Psychological Risk

• This product may not fit in with my self-image.
• I might feel uncomfortable using this product.
• Using this product might not be consistent with the way I feel about myself.

Social Risk

• People whose opinions I value might think less of me if I buy this product.
• Buying this product might have a negative effect on what others think of me.
• My friends or family might disapprove of this purchase.

Time/Convenience Risk

• Buying this product could cost me a lot of time if something goes wrong.
• Getting service or repairs on this product might be inconvenient.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Five subscale scores. Score = mean per dimension. Perceived risk and perceived benefit jointly determine purchase likelihood. Widely used in research on new products, online commerce, health products, and financial services. Time Risk (Roselius, 1971) is a sixth dimension added in later research.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Jacoby, J., & Kaplan, L.B. (1972). The components of perceived risk. Proceedings of the Third Annual Conference of the Association for Consumer Research (pp. 382–393).

Keywords