BioStartup Advice

Self-Check

Risk-Taking

(Using the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking Scale (DOSPERT), by Weber, Blais, & Betz, 2002; Blais & Weber, 2006)

Introduction

To help you consider your risk-taking comfort level and tendencies, complete the following brief surveys from the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT) scale (Weber, Blais, & Betz, 2002). It asks how likely you are to engage in behaviors often considered risky. Your results reflect your overall likelihood of risk-taking as well as in each of four domains. You can also compare your scores to mean scores of entrepreneurs vs. non-entrepreneurs (Curry, 2014).

Financial Risk-Taking

From Domain-Specific Risk-Taking scale: DOSPERT – Weber et al., 2002; Blaise et al., 2006

To help you consider your financial risk-taking comfort level and tendencies, answer the following questions according to how likely you are to engage in that behavior.

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Financial Risk-Taking

Your Total: {survey_total_score}

Interpretation: The higher your score, the more likely you are to take Financial Risks.

Likelihood of Taking Financial Risks Key: 5 Extremely Unlikely, 10 Moderately Unlikely, 15 Somewhat Unlikely, 20 Not Sure, 25 Somewhat Likely, 30 Moderately Likely, 35 Extremely Likely

 Compare your score to these means (Curry, 2014):

  • Mean score for non-entrepreneurs: 13.65
  • Mean score for entrepreneurs: 14.8

Reference: Curry JG. A Closer Look at Entrepreneurship and Attitude toward Risk. MA Thesis. Graduate College of Bowling Green State University. 2014.

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Your Answers

Extremely UnlikelyModerately UnlikelySomewhat UnlikelyNot SureSomewhat LikelyModerately LikelyExtremely Likely

Recreational Risk-Taking

From Domain-Specific Risk-Taking scale: DOSPERT – Weber et al., 2002; Blaise et al., 2006

To help you consider your recreational risk-taking comfort level and tendencies, answer the following questions according to how likely you are to engage in that behavior.

"*" indicates required fields

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Recreational Risk-Taking

Your Total: {survey_total_score}

Interpretation: The higher your score, the more likely you are to take Recreational Risks.

Likelihood of Taking Recreational Risks Key: 5 Extremely Unlikely, 10 Moderately Unlikely, 15 Somewhat Unlikely, 20 Not Sure, 25 Somewhat Likely, 30 Moderately Likely, 35 Extremely Likely

Compare your score to these means (Curry, 2014):

  • Mean score for non-entrepreneurs: 14.6
  • Mean score for entrepreneurs: 17.55

Reference: Curry JG. A Closer Look at Entrepreneurship and Attitude toward Risk. MA Thesis. Graduate College of Bowling Green State University. 2014.

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Your Answers

Extremely UnlikelyModerately UnlikelySomewhat UnlikelyNot SureSomewhat LikelyModerately LikelyExtremely Likely

Social Risk-Taking

From Domain-Specific Risk-Taking scale: DOSPERT – Weber et al., 2002; Blaise et al., 2006

To help you consider your social risk-taking comfort level and tendencies, answer the following questions according to how likely you are to engage in that behavior.

"*" indicates required fields

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Social Risk-Taking

Your Total: {survey_total_score}

Interpretation: The higher your total, the more likely you are to take Social Risks.

Likelihood of Taking Social Risks Key: 5 Extremely Unlikely, 10 Moderately Unlikely, 15 Somewhat Unlikely, 20 Not Sure, 25 Somewhat Likely, 30 Moderately Likely, 35 Extremely Likely

Compare your total to these means (Curry, 2014):

  • Mean score for non-entrepreneurs: 25.3
  • Mean score for entrepreneurs: 28.25

Reference: Curry JG. A Closer Look at Entrepreneurship and Attitude toward Risk. MA Thesis. Graduate College of Bowling Green State University. 2014.

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Your Answers

Extremely UnlikelyModerately UnlikelySomewhat UnlikelyNot SureSomewhat LikelyModerately LikelyExtremely Likely

Information on the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking Scale

The Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT) scale was developed by Weber, Blais, and Betz (2002). Individuals completing the full scale will rate their likelihood of engaging in risky activities by answering questions in five domains: social, recreational, financial, health/safety, and ethical. Each domain can be scored and evaluated separately because individuals tend to vary in their risk-taking comfort level (Blais & Weber, 2006). The scale has shown reliability and validity in a number of studies, and its factor structure has been replicated in multiple settings and populations (Blais & Weber, 2006). The original survey had 40 questions and was shortened to 30 (Blais & Weber, 2006). The three short surveys presented here represent three domains from the shorter survey, with six questions each.

The DOSPERT is used here as a self-reflection tool. However, those completing these surveys can compare their results to the key and to mean scores from a study comparing entrepreneurs (independently own and actively manage a business) to non-entrepreneurs (Curry, 2014). The study found entrepreneurs had higher mean risk-taking scores than non-entrepreneurs. The three domains that were most strongly correlated with entrepreneurship were social (p < 0.05), recreational (p < 0.01), and financial (p < 0.05), which are the domains presented above.

Source:

Blais, A.-R., & Weber, E. U. (2006). A Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT) scale for adult populations. Judgment and Decision Making, 1, 33–47.

Curry, J. G. (2014). A Closer Look at Entrepreneurship and Attitude toward Risk. MA Thesis. Graduate College of Bowling Green State University.

Weber, E. U., Blais, A.-R., & Betz, N. (2002). A domain-specific risk-attitude scale: Measuring risk perceptions and risk behaviors. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 15, 263–90.