Living with Nuclear Power: A Q‐Method Study of Local Community Perceptions

Abstract

The issue of new nuclear power is once again high up on the public policy agenda in many countries, and candidate sites for new civilian stations are likely to include those that have existing nuclear facilities. A common assumption is that existing nuclear communities will be more accepting of new build because of the direct economic and other benefits nuclear power already makes to a local area. Surprisingly, there is a dearth of contemporary data on perceptions of the risks, benefits, and values associated with nuclear power within such communities. This study uses Q-methodology to investigate the perspectives on living with nuclear risk among people (n = 84) drawn from communities near to two nuclear power stations in the United Kingdom. Both stations, at Bradwell-on-Sea and Oldbury-on-Severn, had been in operation for over 40 years. The Q-analysis identified four main perspectives, or points of view, accounting for 53% of total variance. These were interpreted as: Beneficial and Safe; Threat and Distrust; Reluctant Acceptance; and There's No Point Worrying. We conclude that the "landscape of beliefs" about nuclear power in such communities is both subtle and complex, avoiding simplistic bipolar dichotomies such as "for" or "against," and that there is a need for extensive and meaningful dialogue with such communities over any new build plans. The usefulness of Q-methodology for investigating the ways in which people live with risk is highlighted, as are the implications of the results for theories of risk and trust.

Public Perceptions of Energy Choices: The Influence of Beliefs about Climate Change and the Environment

“…Note that data used within analyses were gathered in 2005, however, and therefore it would be useful to re-examine these relationships in longitudinal analysis against new data. In particular, recent significant events including the UK's new Climate Change Bill 64 , the government white paper on Nuclear Power 3 and consultation on public attitudes towards nuclear power 4 , and other related communications associated with the moves to develop existing nuclear sites in Britain 65 , all have the potential to alter public perceptions further. Findings presented in this paper remain of interest however, both for historical and comparative purposes as well as for their theoretical value in examining the relationship between climate change concerns, environmental concerns, and evaluations of energy sources, considered here for the first time.…”

Distance matters. Assessing socioeconomic impacts of the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic: Local perceptions and statistical evidence

“…While distance is still significant, our results (compared to Horská et al) differ as concerns the overall perception of risks: almost 60% of respondents felt threatened by the power plant ten years after its commissioning at that time (mid-1990s), but nearly twenty years later such feelings have rapidly decreased. The positive effects of time, knowledge and proximity, on public attitudes towards nuclear power plants have also been reported from other countries, such as the UK, USA or France (Eiser et al, 1995;Greenberg, 2009b;Venables et al, 2009). …”

“…Nevertheless, Venables et al (2009) stressed that local communities' dependency on the nuclear industry in providing jobs, economic benefits and sponsorship activities, is not the only reason why some people express positive attitudes towards nuclear power plants. According to Bisconti Research (2013), a majority of people associate nuclear energy primarily with reliable electricity, efficiency, clean air, energy security, job creation and affordable electricity.…”

Nükleer Enerji ve Nükleer Santraller Konusuna Yönelik Öğretmen Tutumlarının Farklı Değişkenler Açısından İncelenmesi

“…Yaşanan nükleer kazaların toplumun nükleer enerjiyi kabul etmesini ve güveni negatif yönde etkilediği (Greenberg ve Truelove, 2011;Venable, Pidgeon, Simkons, Henwood, Parkhill, 2009;Visschers ve Siegrist, 2013) Öğretmenlerin görüşlerinde, nükleer enerjinin doğal habitata ve ekolojik dengeye zarar verebileceğini düşünmeleri ise çevre konusunda bütüncül bir bakış açısına sahip olduklarını ve çevreye karşı daha duyarlı olduklarını göstermektedir. Bu durum, nükleer enerjiye yönelik olumlu tutum gösterenlerin çevresel duyarlılıklarının düşük olduğunu vurgulayan bir çalışma sonucu ile de örtüşmektedir (Yılmaz, Çelik, Arslan, 2010).…”