Evaluating nuclear power: voter choice on the California nuclear energy initiative. Executive summary

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:5527377

Hensler, D R; Hensler, C P

In 1976, under grants from the National Science Foundation and the Ford Foundation, The Rand Corporation conducted a set of surveys of Californians' attitudes toward nuclear power nd Proposition 15 that we hoped would illuminate the reasons for the voters' decision on the nuclear initiative. The study focused on the attitudes of the general public; it did not investigate the factors that motivate activists on both sides of the nuclear controversy. The study was limited to California, but because results indicate that attitudes of Californians are similar to attitudes reported in nationwide surveys, we believe that our findings have broader applicability. The objectives of the study were to: describe public knowledge, beliefs, and evaluation of nuclear energy development; analyze the relationship between beliefs and evaluation of nuclear energy; investigate the relationship between critical beliefs about nuclear energy and general political orientations, trust in government and other political and social institutions, and social background characteristics; describe public knowledge, beliefs, and evaluation of Proposition 15, the California nuclear energy initiative; and investigate the relationship between individuals' voting decisions on Proposition 15 and their evaluations of nuclear power and responses to the initiative campaign.

• Research Organization: RAND Corp., Santa Monica, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5527377
• Report Number(s): R-2341/1-NSF/FF
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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CALIFORNIA
DATA
DATA ANALYSIS
DATA COMPILATION
INFORMATION
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
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WESTERN REGION