Nuclear Reaction: A Summary

Over a span of seven years (1990-97), the University of New Mexico’s Institute for Public Policy has conducted eight comprehensive surveys involving public assessment of risk in the nuclear arena in the United States. The perception of risk regarding a specific situation is directly correlated to the amount of information known about the activity and the severity of consequences resulting from an occurrence. The public’s interpretations of the safety risks associated with the possibility of an incident in the movement and storage of radioactive material greatly influence decisions on the transportation of nuclear waste from production site to (long or short-term) storage facilities. Standard survey techniques were used by the Institute to assess the attitudes of the general populace in affected geographic locations concerning various nuclear projects. The sample sets were demographically distributed and other standard statistical measures were applied to ensure accurate data representation. All of these surveys were necessary to piece together the complex nature of public opinion. Findings reveal that the degree of knowledge moderates risk perception and greatly influences the confidence and trust placed in the information provider. Another direct relationship lies in the degree of certainty in the available information. The level of risk also bears an indirect correlation to the level of trust placed in “knowledgeable” figures. Members of a higher socio-economic class (historically dominated by white males) tended to have greater levels of knowledgability as well as populations close to the sites most affected by the nuclear material. Similarly, a greater feeling of involvement in the formation of policy led to a decreased risk level. As a function of time, general public knowledge generally increased after institution of proposed programs. The U.S. population largely feels a lack of knowledge in nuclear matters and thus relies on the government, scientists and environmental groups to make informed, reliable judgements and form policy on nuclear matters. Greater trust in the federal agencies was linked to less perceived risk whereas people trusting the scientists and environmentalists discerned a greater risk. Contrary to the NIMBY principle, the greatest amount of support for nuclear projects was expressed along the proposed routes and storage sites due to the greater level of knowledge with reduced anxiety about potential negative effects on the local economies. Public policy decisions are closely tied to public views and are continuously evolving to accommodate new knowledge and experiences. For this reason, further survey work and analysis would be valuable to guide educational practices and promote communication in nuclear waste management into the twenty-first century.