NR2P3

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, many countries around the world are planning to shift to more sustainable forms of energy. Nuclear energy is expected to play a key role in replacing fossil fuels, or at least to be an essential option in the future energy mix. However, the use of nuclear power is controversial among younger people, who prefer the development of solar and wind power. Assessing young people's perception of nuclear risk is the subject of the NR2P3 project: "Nuclear Risk and Radioisotopes, from Public Perception to New Policies." While a previous survey (NR2P2) focused on two target populations, experts vs. non-experts, in this new survey a single social group was selected: students who responded to a questionnaire sent to the Ulysseus network of universities. While information is readily available about the different energy policies pursued at international level, less is known about how they are perceived by the general public. The initial fieldwork for this study was carried out in eight European countries: Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Montenegro, Slovenia and Spain. The questionnaire did not achieve the desired level of representativeness for some countries. Nevertheless, it allowed us to explore the different energy contexts, which was an important part of our study. We received 1,015 incomplete responses and 726 complete responses, and decided to focus only on the latter. The first argument in favor of nuclear power (53.4%) concerned the climate and the fact that nuclear power is a low-carbon energy and therefore necessary to combat greenhouse gas emissions. Arguments against the development of nuclear power focused on the concept of risk and the problem of radioactive waste, which were highlighted in the responses, together with the more recent argument that it is impossible to continue to produce nuclear power in a world with an increasingly uncertain climate (the issue of reactor cooling). In terms of perceived nuclear risks, the nuclear threat came first (380 students). The current geopolitical context, notably Russia's war in Ukraine, might have influenced this perception. Overall, the responses show a desire for citizen participation in energy decision-making. All the responses reflected the students’ interest in participating in the nuclear debate.