What comes to mind when you hear the words nuclear waste repository '': A study of 10,000 images
- Decision Research, Eugene, OR (USA)
Attempts by the federal government and the nuclear industry to develop sites for disposal of high-level and low-level radioactive wastes have been stymied by public and political opposition. The record of strenuous protest against nuclear waste repositories, as well as the findings of numerous public opinion surveys, make it clear that public opposition is widespread and deeply felt. It is also clear that there is an immense gap between the perceptions of the pubic and the views of technical experts and nuclear-industry officials. Given the seriousness of nuclear waste as a public issue, it is surprising that there have been only a few attempts to understand the deeper meaning of nuclear fears and opposition to nuclear waste disposal sites, and to provide some insight into the nature and pervasiveness of people's concerns. One step toward a deeper understanding would be to define the origins of these concerns, the emotions and images that underlie them, and their tractability or stability over time. In the present study, the authors recorded 10,000 word-association images from more than 3,300 respondents to four surveys during the period between April, 1988 and January 1, 1990. Each of the 10,000 images was assigned to one of thirteen general or superordinate categories, which expressed the dominant theme of the response. All but one superordinate categories contained subordinate categories. All in all there were 92 distinct categories. The two dominant superordinate categories, (1) negative consequences and (2) negative concepts accounted for more than 56% of the total number of images. Many of the smaller categories and subcategories were also quite negative in tone. The five leading subordinate categories, dangerous toxic, death sickness, environmental damage, bad, and scary, accounted for more than 42% of the total number of images. 27 refs., 6 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Nevada Nuclear Waste Project Office, Carson City, NV (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG08-85NV10461
- OSTI ID:
- 5963318
- Report Number(s):
- NWPO-SE-028-90; ON: DE91010606
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
NUCLEAR ENERGY
PUBLIC OPINION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
BEHAVIOR
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CLASSIFICATION
CONTAMINATION
DEATH
DOCUMENTATION
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INJURIES
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
SAFETY
SITE SELECTION
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
ACCIDENTS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
ENERGY
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
290600 - Energy Planning & Policy- Nuclear Energy