Risk, trust and place : a mixed methods investigation into community perceptions of a nearby nuclear power station

• Main Author: Venables, Daniel
• Published: Cardiff University 2011
• Subjects: 155; BF Psychology
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.567108

Recent UK government policy advocates the expansion of nuclear power, and indicated that any new nuclear power stations will be built mostly at existing 'nuclear' sites where it is apparently assumed that broad community acceptance will be encountered. This thesis investigated community perceptions of an existing nearby nuclear power station at three locations, through a mixed-methods design incorporating a Q-Method study (n=84) and a household study (n=1,327), and with additional reference to an existing qualitative dataset. The thesis aimed to provide a detailed description of how such communities live with nuclear power. Specifically, it investigated (a) the main community points of view on the nearby nuclear power station; (b) the dimensionality of trust between communities and the power station; (c) the associations between risk perceptions, trust, sense of place, and residential proximity to the power station, and (d) the factors associated with community support for new nuclear build in the nearby area. Four points of view were identified. These were broadly consistent across study locations but also reflected some site-specific concerns. The dimensionality of trust between the nuclear power station and nearby communities was found to comprise separate Affective and Cognitive components. It was concluded, however, that the primary influences, both on public perceptions of the risks associated with the existing nuclear power station, and on community attitudes towards the building of a new one, were related to perceptions of place. This thesis provides a contemporary insight into some of the ways that communities live in close proximity to a nuclear power station. Its theoretical and applied implications are discussed in the context of psychological theory and recent UK energy policy.