Original scientific paper

NUCLEAR ENERGY: HAZARD PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE CHANGE

Dinka Čorkalo ; Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb

Abstract

The research of the public opinion with regard to nuclear energy shows the clear attitude polarization with a relatively stable proportion of the opponents and supporters to nuclear energy. These findings are also stable over time. It seems that only accidents have noticable impact on the change of attitudes toward nuclear energy and the related hazard perception. We were interested if it is possible to change these attitudes experimentally and what impact would these changes have on the hazard perception. We examined the attitudes toward nuclear energy and the related hazard perception of 308 students of both sexes from the four faculties of the University of Zagreb: Science; Electrical Engeneering; Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture; and Arts and Humanities. Four weeks later subjects were exposed to the persuasion procedure during which they were asked to answer the four questions about nuclear energy. The questions were different for the subjects with positive and with negative attitudes. After the procedure, subjects' attitudes and hazard perception were remeasured. The results have shown that the change of the initial attitudes led to the hazard perception change in the expected direction. The subjects with negative attitudes changed their hazard perception in the direction of higher results. The opposite results were found for the group with positive attitudes. These results confirm our assumption that hazard perception changes depending on the attitude change.

Keywords

attitudes; attitude change; hazard perception; nuclear energy; nuclear power plants

Hrčak ID:

141412

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/141412

Publication date:

15.1.1996.

Article data in other languages: croatian german

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