Measuring nuclear power plant externalities using life satisfaction data: A spatial analysis for Switzerland

Heinz Welsch and Philipp Biermann

Ecological Economics, 2016, vol. 126, issue C, 98-111

Abstract: We investigate the relationship between Swiss citizens' life satisfaction (understood as a proxy of utility) and the distance of their place of residence from the nearest nuclear power plant. Using survey data for up to 12,264 Swiss citizens, elicited in February–August 2011, and several specifications of distance, we find a statistically and economically significant satisfaction-distance gradient. The gradient is smaller for those who may feel protected by wind direction and topographical conditions, and it differs by age, sex, and the level of education. The satisfaction-distance gradient has changed significantly after the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan, indicating a reassessment of distance-dependent nuclear risk due to an information shock.

Keywords: Nuclear risk; Life satisfaction; Non-market valuation; Spatial equilibrium; Fukushima (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I31 Q48 Q51 Q54 R53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Working Paper: Measuring Nuclear Power Plant Externalities Using Life Satisfaction Data: A Spatial Analysis for Switzerland (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:126:y:2016:i:c:p:98-111

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.02.016

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