POSTERS, VIDEOS and CPROMs 111 XA04C1237

Tuesday, 6-Feb-2001 12:10 High acceptance of by youngsters in Andrej Stritar, Radko IsteniC Instituf'Jozef Stefan" ICJT, Jamova 39, 1001 LJUBLJANA, Slovenia [email protected] Introduction This is a regular report at PIME about the development of public opinion in Slovenia. Nuclear Training Centre Milan Copic at the Jozef 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 get 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.

Conclusions Public opinion about nuclear energy in Slovenia, at least of the young generation, remains to be quite favourable. • Number of people that support operation of NPP Krsko 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 Krsko immediately is dropping steadily (from 12,28 % in 1993 to 3,79% this year). • 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). • 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. • 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 modernisation of the Nuclear power plant Krsko (steam generator replacement), which was quite substantially publicised, did not have any negative influence to public opinion. Public information remains to be important to keep the favourable public attitude and should be intensified in the radioactive waste area.

PIME2001, Evian, 89 ENS, February 2001 POSTERS, VIDEOS and CDROMs

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

Spent fuel HJ9HH99sHSB^S^R 3%

Reactor coolant water |^| 12,69%

•ma Used dresses and _J«l76% 39,82% tools

•Halal ^^•_4S£7% 149,77% RWfrom hospitals ^ •j^^^H 60,75% and Industry

m ii ilium•BBBBBBB1

^•^••••••^H 2S,24% | 122,22% RW from 2irovskl vrh uranium mine jIBBllH10,37% • 1993

^•••—•••••^•^•^•^••••J 33,39% D1997 Radioactive ash from •••^••••••^•^••l 31,23% fossil power plants • 1998

•_1,62% • 1999 Nothing from that ft 2,47% m 3,31% • 2000 ••••^•^•••••B 24,29% ^^^^^^^^^^^^| 25,00% I don't know i^^P^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|23^83% Mg^^^ggpJpjp^pHJ 21,75%

Figure 1: Answers to question: What will be stored in the low-level radioactive waste repository? (several answers allowed)

PIME2001, Evian, France 90 ENS, February 2001 POSTERS, VIDEOS and CDROMs

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

|^B 12,28% Shut down NPP mm a,23% Krsko immediately

^—l • 1993 • 1997 B 1998 • 1999 • 2000 •|^l| 10,78% Shut down NPP Krsko in 5 years ••5,5$% !

m 66,00% Shut down NPP ^165,28% Krsko at the end of 93% its life time ••HfToTiy. ^^^^B 73,14

i

Build a new NPP •^•7,65% i

••^•lOJMV. I don't know and No | 15,51% answer •••8,52% j^^B 9,23%

(Note that option "Build a new NPP" was added only in 1999.) Figure 2: Answers to question: What should be the future of nuclear energy in Slovenia? (only one answer allowed) 30%

25%

Figure 3: Answer to question: What is most dangerous to the environment? (3 answers were allowed)

PIME2001, Evian, France 91 ENS, February 2001