| Summary: | When conducting research in First Nations communities problems can arise when applying research methods that were developed for Western society. Studies of environmental risk perception, the subfield of environmental risk assessment and management that incorporates the opinions and feelings of "lay persons" into the assessment process, are not immune to this. These studies of risk perception are generally based on statistical analyses derived from questionnaires. This paper will argue that the methodology used in studying the perception of risk of First Nations people should be culturally sensitive to the particular community that is being studied. This can be accomplished with direct community approval and cooperation from the initial decision on whether or not a study is needed, the research itself, and finally the communication of results. This paper is not meant to be a critique of the field of risk perception, but is instead a discussion of the characteristics of community-based research relevant to the field of risk perception.
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