Analysis of the Risk Perception of Nuclear Power Plant and Radiation

Abstract

Researches on the danger of nuclear power generation, the foundation of the development of national industry and one of the energy sources, as perceived by ordinary citizens, are very important to social acceptance of nuclear power generation. Accordingly, this study intends to understand how ordinary citizens perceive the social risk of nuclear power generation and radiation, and their misconceptions, and to propose ways to improve such perceptions. To achieve these goals, this study analyzed the perceptions of 251 ordinary citizens. The analysis showed that ordinary citizens have vague anxiety and suspicion about the safety of nuclear power generation, and little trust in government-affiliated organizations. The younger they were, the more influential they thought corporations and industries were. The result of this study suggests that the misconceptions of ordinary citizens should be corrected by professors and scientists in university research institutions they trust the most, and their intrinsic perceptions should be changed accordingly.

Intent to Use a Smartphone Application for Radiation Monitoring in Correlation with Anxiety about Exposure to Radiation, Recognition of Risks, and Attitudes toward the Use of Radiation

“…ble 1); ten items on attitudes towards the use of radiation (AUR) and nuclear power plants [5] (Table 2); five items on the perception of radiation risks (perceived RR) [6] (Table 3); four items on anxiety about exposure to radiation (AER) [13] ( Table 4); and four items on the intent to use a dosimetry application [14] ( Table 5). All items were measured on a 7-point Likert scale (where 1 = strongly disagree; 4 = neutral; and 7 = strongly agree).…”

“…Radiation is often described as a double-edged sword, with both benefits and risks [4], reflecting the contradictory public attitudes concerning the use of radiation. The general population tends to have negative attitudes towards radiation irrespective of how much they know about radiation [5]. However, in a study on college students' attitudes, Han and Lee [6] reported that attitudes differed depending on whether students had received radiation-related education and on gender.…”