International Conference Nuclear Energy in Central Europe 2000 Golf Hotel, Bled, , September 11-14, 2000

PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY – 2000 POLL

Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič "Jožef Stefan" Institute Nuclear Training Centre Jamova 39 Ljubljana, Slovenia [email protected], [email protected]

ABSTRACT

In the Nuclear Training centre in Ljubljana we are polling our visitors on a yearly basis. The visitors are elementary and high school students. They are polled before they listen to the lecture and visit the permanent exhibition. This year the attitude towards remained favourable. The percentage of people, that would accept a new nuclear power plant, has even increased from 7,65 % last year to 9,35 % this year.

1 INTRODUCTION

This is already the third paper of similar content presented at this conference (see references 11. and 12.). Nuclear Training Centre Milan Čopič at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana is performing extensive public information activities. All the elementary and high schools in Slovenia are invited to visit our permanent exhibition and attend the lecture about the nuclear energy or radioactive waste disposal. Every year we are also trying to update picture about the perception of Slovenian young public to nuclear energy.

In the spring 2000 altogether 845 visitors of our Information Centre were polled. They are answering before they listen to the lecture or visit the exhibition. In that way we are trying to obtain their opinion based on the knowledge they obtain in everyday life.

We are maintaining the same set of questions every year in order to facilitate tracking of changes. Questions are based on early public opinion research done by Faculty of Social Sciences more than ten years ago (references 1 to 3).

In the continuation we are refraining from explanations in order to allow more space for graphs. Some comments are added in the conclusions. Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič page 2 of 8 PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY – 2000 POLL

100% 80% 81,5% 75,80% 80% 57,73% 60% 54,6% 54,4% 55,1% 51,8% 60,3% 48,2% 45,4% 45,6% 44,9% 60% 51,7% 51,9% 42,27% 48,3% 48,1% 39,7% 40% 40% 24,20% 18,5% 20% 20%

0% 0% 2000 1999 1998 1997 1993 2000 1999 1998 1997 1993

Elementary school High school Boys Girls

Figure 1: Type of school visitors were Figure 2: Number of boys and girls coming from

2,10% 1,48% 19 years or more 3,58% 0,70% 0,50% 2000

6,30% 7,53% 18 years 3,23% 9,60% 1999 8,50%

2,96% 10,99% 1998 17 years 7,46% 13,11% 11,90%

4,44% 1997 17,16% 16 years 4,73% 1,41% 3,40% 1993 32,35% 25,56% 15 years 32,11% 31,62% 4,20%

44,44% 33,33% 14 years 45,45% 11,61% 55,40%

11,60% 3,70% 13 years 3,44% 1,65% 15,30%

0,12% 0,25% 12 years or less 0,00% 0,07% 0,90%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Figure 3: Age distribution

Proceedings of the International Conference Nuclear Energy in Central Europe, Bled, Slovenia, Sept. 11-14, 2000 Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič page 3 of 8 PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY – 2000 POLL

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

23,06% 24,07% Lower price 26,97% 26,17% 23,43%

18,20%

21,30% En e r g y 41,31% independence 12,47% 11,48%

13,68% 1993 20,37% Cleanliness of this 5,68% energy source 1997 20,86%

25,92% 1998

22,33% 1999 13,43% Lack of other energy 16,04% 2000 resources 19,63% 14,79%

24,29% 20,83% I don't know and No 10,01% answer 20,86% 24,38%

Figure 4: Answers to question: What are the reasons for the use of nuclear energy? (only one answer allowed)

Proceedings of the International Conference Nuclear Energy in Central Europe, Bled, Slovenia, Sept. 11-14, 2000 Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič page 4 of 8 PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY – 2000 POLL

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

30,37% 25,46% Possibility of an 23,49% accident 33,46% 30,41%

44,06% 36,11% Disposal of fuel 10,50% 41,11% 37,16%

2,46% 13,19% Enough of other 18,52% energy sources 3,70% 1993 2,96%

1997 15,35% 13,89% 1998 Radiation from NPP 28,74% 13,58% 1999 16,09%

2000 7,76% 11,34% I don't know and No 18,74% answ er 8,15% 13,37%

Figure 5: Answers to question: What are the reasons against the use of nuclear energy? (only one answer allowed)

Proceedings of the International Conference Nuclear Energy in Central Europe, Bled, Slovenia, Sept. 11-14, 2000 Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič page 5 of 8 PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY – 2000 POLL

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

30,88% 22,92% Spent fuel 37,54% 40,74% 36,33%

17,30% 21,76% Reactor coolant 13,84% water 12,59% 14,56%

48,58% 43,75% Used dresses and 39,82% tools 34,94% 35,50%

45,67% 49,77% RW from hospitals 50,75% and industry 45,31% 37,63%

26,24% 22,22% RW from Žirovski vrh 6,81% uranium mine 10,37% 1993 7,22%

33,39% 1997 31,25% Radioactive ash from 31,23% fossil power plants 27,53% 28,28% 1998

1,62% 3,70% 1999 Nothing from that 1,56% 2,47% 3,31% 2000

24,29% 25,00% I don't know 19,09% 23,83% 28,76%

Figure 6: Answers to question: What will be stored in the low-level radioactive waste repository? (several answers allowed)

Proceedings of the International Conference Nuclear Energy in Central Europe, Bled, Slovenia, Sept. 11-14, 2000 Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič page 6 of 8 PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY – 2000 POLL

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

12,28% Shut down NPP 11,57% 8,23% Krško immediately 7,78% 3,79% 1993 1997 1998 1999 2000 10,78% Shut down NPP 7,64% 6,03% Krško in 5 years 5,56% 4,50%

66,00% Shut down NPP 65,28% Krško at the end of 77,93% its life time 70,49% 73,14%

Build a new NPP 7,65% 9,35%

10,11% I don't know and No 15,51% 7,81% answer 8,52% 9,23%

Figure 7: Answers to question: What should be the future of nuclear energy in Slovenia? (only one answer allowed) (Note that option "Build a new NPP" was added only in 1999.)

30% 1998 1993 1997 1999 2000 25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0% seas Acid rain waste pollution effect Chemical forests gasses exhaust NPPs rivers and Radioactive of Pollution Pollution of Pollution Automobile I don't know don't I Greenhouse Ozone holes Ozone Radiation from Radiation Figure 8: Answer to question: What is most dangerous to the environment? (3 answers were allowed)

Proceedings of the International Conference Nuclear Energy in Central Europe, Bled, Slovenia, Sept. 11-14, 2000 Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič page 7 of 8 PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY – 2000 POLL

Nuclear power plant 8,5% 13,8% 33,9% 4,9% acceptable

4,8% 14,2% 34,4% 5,9% Mine repository partly acceptable

14,9% 25,4% 20,8% 2,9% Animal farm not acceptable

10,8% 25,2% 17,9% 7,9% Pulp factory I don't know and No answer Highway 9,5% 27,2% 22,6% 2,3%

Low and intermediate RW 5,3% 10,0% 40,9% 3,5% repository

Fossil power plant 6,5% 21,1% 27,1% 6,0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Figure 9: Answer to question: How acceptable is for you to live in the vicinity of: (three answers were allowed)

2 CONCLUSIONS

Public opinion about nuclear energy in Slovenia, at least of the young generation, remains to be quite favorable.

þ Number of people, that support operation of NPP Krško until the end of its life time has increased from 70,49 % last year to 73,14 % this year. If we add to that also those that would be willing to accept another NPP, we come to the 82,49 % of full supporters (78,14 % last year). At the same time percentage of people, that would stop NPP Krško immediately is dropping steadily (from 12,28 % in 1993 to 3,79 % this year). þ It is interesting to note that this year environmental friendliness of nuclear power was better recognised (question about reasons for the use of nuclear energy). þ There is a lot of misunderstanding evident about the contents of the waste in the low level radioactive waste repository and danger of radioactive waste to the environment. þ Disposal of waste remains to be considered as a major disadvantage of nuclear energy, bigger than possibility of an accident (question about disadvantages of nuclear power and last question).

Obviously on-going modernization of the Nuclear power plant Krško (steam generator replacement), which was quite substantially publicized, did not have any negative influence to public opinion. Public information remains to be important to keep the favorable public attitude and should be intensified in the radioactive waste area.

Proceedings of the International Conference Nuclear Energy in Central Europe, Bled, Slovenia, Sept. 11-14, 2000 Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič page 8 of 8 PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY – 2000 POLL

3 REFERENCES

[1] Skupina avtorjev: Slovensko javno mnenje 1986. Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo, Center za raziskovanje javnega mnenja in množičnih komunikacij. Ljubljana, 1986.

[2] Skupina avtorjev: Slovensko javno mnenje 1987. Delavska enotnost, Ljubljana, 1987.

[3] Skupina avtorjev: Slovensko javno mnenje 1990. Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za sociologijo, politične vede in novinarstvo, Center za raziskovanje javnega mnenja in množičnih komunikacij. Ljubljana, 1990.

[4] Izvedljivost zapiranja NE Krško. Ministrstvo za energetiko Republike Slovenije, Ljubljana, Maribor, junij 1993.

[5] Tomaž Kukovica, Irena Mele, Andrej Stritar: Development and Implementation of Public Relations Strategy. Nuclear Society of Slovenia: 2nd Regional Meeting: Nuclear Energy in Central Europe. Portorož, 1995, p. 363-367.

[6] Andrej Stritar: Public Acceptance, a Key Issue of Nuclear Energy. Nuclear Society of : Nuclear Option in Countries with Small and Medium Grid, Opatija, 1996, (1996), p 134-140

[7] Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič: Public Debates about Nuclear Energy in Slovenia During 1995/96. International Workshop on Nuclear Public Information in Practice, Brugge, 1997, Transactions, (1996), p. 32

[8] Andrej Stritar: Lessons Learned from Public Debates about Nuclear Energy in Slovenia During 1995/96. Nuclear Energy in Central Europe, Portorož, 1996, Proceedings, (1996), p. 546-552

[9] Andrej Stritar: Informing Public about Nuclear in Slovenia. Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference 1998, Banff, 1998.

[10] Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič: Changing perception about nuclear power in Slovenia in the changing political climate. International Workshop on Nuclear Public Information, Maastricht, 1998, Transactions, (1998).

[11] Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič: Public Opinion about Nuclear Energy - 1998 Poll. Nuclear Energy in Central Europe 98, Čatež, 1998, Proceedings, (1998), p. 399-406.

[12] Andrej Stritar, Radko Istenič: Public Opinion about Nuclear Energy - 1999 Poll. Nuclear Energy in Central Europe 99, Portorož, 1999, Proceedings, (1999)

Proceedings of the International Conference Nuclear Energy in Central Europe, Bled, Slovenia, Sept. 11-14, 2000