NEA Working Paper: The Perception of Science, Risk and Nuclear Energy: An International Survey

In November 2022, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) launched an international survey in the framework of the Global Forum on Nuclear Education, Science, Technology and Policy. The survey sought to explore the links between an individual’s core values and their perception of science, risk and nuclear matters. It is important to recognise, as detailed in the methodological note below, that the survey was not intended to seek out representative views of the public. A much more comprehensive survey would be needed to assess general views. The survey respondents are not representative of the population of the participating countries and the results show an overrepresentation of some types of respondents. Consequently, the results must be used with care and only for their intended purpose, always keeping in mind the nature of the sample and the size of the sub-samples utilised in identifying and investigating potential correlations. The findings should be seen as indications that invite further investigation, not as definite proofs of correlations. This working paper is a first step in the results’ analysis. It presents the main findings of the survey but does not offer analysis of the reasons behind the correlations that are noted. The findings will hopefully generate further research that will provide a detailed understanding of these correlations.