83.
Overestimate of own possibilities in general and survival rate in particular
Quoting Nick Bostrom's article on
existential risks59:
The empirical data on risk-estimation
biases is ambiguous. It has been argued that we suffer from various systematic
biases when estimating our own prospects or risks in general. Some data suggest
that humans tend to overestimate their own personal abilities and prospects. About three quarters of all motorists think they are safer
drivers than the typical driver. Bias seems to be present even among highly
educated people. According to one survey, almost half of all sociologists
believed that they would become one of the top ten in their field, and 94% of
sociologists thought they were better at their jobs than their average
colleagues. It has also been shown that depressives have a more accurate
self-perception than normals except regarding the hopelessness of their situation.
Most people seem to think that they themselves are less likely to fall victims
to common risks than other people. It is widely believed that the public tends
to overestimate the probability of highly publicized risks (such as plane
crashes, murders, food poisonings etc.), and a recent study shows the public
overestimating a large range of commonplace health risks to themselves. Another
recent study, however, suggests that available data are consistent with the
assumption that the public rationally estimates risk (although with a slight
truncation bias due to cognitive costs of keeping in mind exact information).