Original scientific paper
HAZARD PERCEPTION, KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDESCONCERNING NUCLEAR POWER-PLANTS
Dinka Čorkalo
; Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb
Abstract
The level and structure of knowledge on nuclear energy amid two groups of subjects of opposed attitudes concerning nuclear power-plants and interacting links of the three groups of variables that are considered as most important in establishing human relations to environmental hazards have been studied in this paper: knowledge, attitudes and perceived hazard. 308 subjects of both sex, students of senior academic years from four faculties in Zagreb participated in the research: Faculty of Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture and Faculty of Philosophy. These subjects were selected because owning to the presumed different knowledge structure levels, as well as attitudes concerning nuclear power-plants.
The results have shown that the group with a more positive attitudes concerning nuclear power-plants shows a higher level of knowledge. In other words, they have better knowledge of facts that are in agreement with their attitudes than those not supported by attitudes. Correlation analysis of knowledge variables, attitudes and perceived hazard has shown that the subjects with the most negative attitudes concerning nuclear power-plants show also poorer knowledge of facts. The correlation between attitudes and hazard perception (r = 0.45) indicates subjects with a more prominent hazard perception among those with more negative attitudes. A correlation between knowledge of facts and hazard perception was not found. Implications of results obtained are discussed in the paper.
Keywords
nuclear power-plants; hazard perception; attitudes; knowledge
Hrčak ID:
141345
URI
Publication date:
15.1.1995.
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