Public perception and acceptance on nuclear energy in China from questionnaire and education

ZHOU Yangping¹, LIU Changxin², ZHANG Zuoyi¹, MA Yanxiu¹, SHI Zhengang¹

1. Institute of Nuclear and New energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China (E-mail:{zhouyp, zyzhang, masju, shizg}@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn)

2. Chinese Nuclear Society, P. O. Box 2125, Beijing 100822, China (E-mail: cns@ns.org.cn)

Abstract: China’s nuclear industry is recently experiencing rapid development, creating a need for  research into public perceptions and acceptance of nuclear power. In this paper, we propose a strategy for investigating public perception and acceptance in China, in a continuous and accurate way, and testing the effectiveness of public education in order to find a proper way to improve the perception and acceptance of nuclear energy in China. Questionnaires are conducted separately both before and after  public education activities on nuclear energy held in Beijing. Some conclusions and future continuation of this study are also discussed.

Keyword: public perception and acceptance; nuclear energy; questionnaire