Public opinion on nuclear power plants in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America: A prescription for peculiar Japan

Hiroshi Yamagata

Energy Policy, 2024, vol. 185, issue C

Abstract: In attempts to solve climate change and energy security issues, many countries have made plans to invest in nuclear energy. Public opinion on nuclear energy is an important factor in building support for the construction and operation of new nuclear power plants (NPPs). In this study, public opinion surveys on existing NPP use and the new construction of NPPs were conducted simultaneously using the same method in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Japanese respondents were neutral on existing and new NPPs, citing “no strong reason”. In all three countries, the term “new construction” made the respondents anxious about NPP safety. This study also examined whether Japanese respondents’ attitudes change when the reasons for negative opinions toward NPPs are solved. By using the phrase “NPPs that no longer require evacuation,” respondent anxiety was resolved, and an increase in the respondents who agreed with the new construction of NPPs was observed. For Japanese respondents who believed that the problem of radioactive waste had not yet been resolved, the selection of a disposal site was not perceived as a solution. Based on these findings, this research provides valuable insights that can help advance energy policy in Japan.

Keywords: Nuclear power plant; Public opinion; New construction; Evacuation; Disposal site (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:185:y:2024:i:c:s0301421523005244

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113939

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