Nuclear Energy and Public Opinion

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, the public canplay a greater role in government policy decisions than everbefore. This fact was recently demonstrated in the realm of nuclearenergy by the 2011 Fukushima-Daichii incident in Japan.Public outreach has taken on a new importance for a number ofreasons. The public can easily mobilize to demonstrate supportor dissent toward a policy decision. In Japan, this has manifesteditself in anger toward the agency some see as responsible,the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), as well as towardnuclear energy in general.1 Because mobilization can affect there-election chances of a politician, both locally and nationally,politicians are more apt to listen to the concerns of their constituentsand mirror their concerns regarding nuclear energy.Social activism, especially when news can be transmitted inreal time and effectively instantly, can arouse the awarenessof a greater segment of the population than previously possible.Social activism might appear most evident in anti-nuclearprotests, such as when an anti-nuclear flash mob in Taiwan garneredthe attention of the public and the media.2 At the sametime, it can also serve as a platform to increase understandingof nuclear energy, such as with the recent documentary filmPandora’s Promise or through the attendance of pro-nuclearactivists at nuclear hearings to ensure that both sides are represented.3 Then, there are no longer strict borders or limits ofimpact. Returning to Fukushima, its effect was not merely inJapan. Repercussions were felt worldwide as internationalopinion of nuclear energy dipped immediately afterward. Moreover,it seems that the public does not care if the nuclear-relatedincident involves radioactive or nuclear materials. What mattersis how it is presented to the public—and the subsequentperception—rather than how experts view it. All of these meanthat maintaining public relations and outreach to the public andthe press is necessary for sustainable nuclear energy efforts.Moreover, public relations and press can backfire. Presentingthe wrong image or a series of conflicting reports can destroytrust between the government and the public, as can waitingtoo long to include the public in the decision-making process.Only a few studies have sought to determine the level of publicknowledge about important aspects of nuclear energy.4 Ultimately,it must be realized that it is necessary to include thepublic in decisions involving nuclear energy or risk a potentialbacklash.