Radon Risk Communication Issues: Results of the All-Russian Public Opinion Survey

Abstract

1,500 respondents took part in an Internet survey conducted in autumn 2020 in the Russian Federation. The survey was a part of the Radon Cross-Cultural Multilingual Public Opinion Survey (STEAM project) in the framework of the IAEA technical cooperation project RER9153. The survey was representative for the population of the country as per sex, age, and a region of residence. Random sampling error didn’t exceed 2.5 % for 95 % confidence interval. All respondents were given some information on radon that was as similar as possible in questionnaires published in languages spoken in all 22 coun- tries that took part in the STEAM project; it was done in order to provide an opportunity to make further cross-country com- parison of the survey results. The objective of the survey was to investigate what attitudes people had towards their health and towards radon as a possible health risk factor. The survey revealed that in the Russian Federation people were rather poorly aware about radon. Only 31.7 % re- spondents stated that they were to a greater or lesser extent informed about radon. The level of knowledge about radon as a health risk factor was at a comparable level. For the majority of respondents, information about radon received from Ro- spotrebnadzor and its subordinate research institute formed the perception of radon as a risk factor that requires actions to mitigate its impact on health. Medical specialists turned out to be the most trustworthy source of information about health risks, first of all, family doctors and physicians in polyclinics; people also trusted medical prevention centers, Rospotrebnad- zor, regional and local public health care authorities. Results of the presented survey that was the first social survey focusing on the radon problem and conducted throughout the country can be used as a basis for planning communication strategies within the framework of both national and regional radon programs.