Why do we take risks?

6 April 2011 Last updated at 05:17 ET Help

Dr Mike Aitken and Prof David Spiegelhalter worked with BBC Lab UK to create the Big Risk Test, a mass participation survey into why some people are risk-takers and other are risk averse.

Here, the two Cambridge University academics discuss how to measure risk, whether there are risky personalities, and why it's important for the public to understand risk.

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