About the research
Government and environmental leaders around the world are urgently reassessing energy policies in light of climate change impacts such as severe sea level rises, wildlife habitat destruction and economic losses.
To reduce carbon emissions (a leading contributor to climate change), both Britain and Japan proposed expanding their nuclear power strategies. Then, on 11 March 2011, a powerful undersea earthquake and resulting tsunami shook Japan, causing the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, the largest nuclear incident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
This study examines the perceptions among both British and Japanese before and after the accident, and how these perceptions may impact current and future energy strategies.
The researchers compared public perceptions of climate change and energy futures in Britain and Japan using a series of existing nationally-representative quantitative surveys that were conducted at different stages before and after the Fukushima accident.
The study found that even before the Fukushima accident, the Japanese were less supportive of nuclear power than the British. The difference became even larger after the accident. Whereas British attitudes have remained remarkably stable in the wake of Fukushima, Japanese residents seem to have lost complete trust in nuclear safety and regulation. Additionally, the results indicate that the Japanese public has become less accepting and supportive of nuclear power overall since the accident.
The results indicate that the Fukushima disaster did not impact attitudes toward nuclear power alone; it affected public views on Japan’s energy future more generally. The Japanese are now less likely to think that any specific energy source will contribute to a reliable and secure supply of energy.
Methodology
The British surveys were compared with two nationwide public opinion surveys conducted in 2007 and 2011 in Japan. The surveys included similar items, allowing a unique cross-national comparison of pre- and post-Fukushima attitudes to nuclear power and climate change.
Publications
Bird, D. K., Haynes, K., van den Honert, R., McAneney, J., and Poortinga, W. (2014) ‘Nuclear power in Australia: A comparative analysis of public opinion regarding climate change and the Fukushima disaster’, Energy Policy, 65, pp. 644-653. Retrieved 10 April 2014 from dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.09.047
Poortinga, W., Aoyagi, M., and Pidgeon, N. F. (2013) ‘Public perceptions of climate change and energy futures before and after the Fukushima accident: A comparison between Britain and Japan’, Energy Policy, 62. pp. 1204-1211. Retrieved 10 April 2014 from dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.08.015
Poortinga, W., and Aoyagi, M. (2013) ‘Public perceptions of climate change and energy futures before and after the Fukushima accident: A comparison between Britain and Japan’, WSA Working Paper 01-2013, Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. Retrieved 10 April 2014 from www.cardiff.ac.uk/archi/images/working%20papers/WSA%20Working%20Paper%2001-2013.pdf
Poortinga, W., Pidgeon, N.F., Capstick, S. and Aoyagi, M. (2014) ‘Public attitudes to nuclear power and climate change in Britain two years after the Fukushima accident: Synthesis report’, UK Energy Research Centre, London. Retrieved 10 April 2014 from ukerc.rl.ac.uk/publications/research_report/Public_Attitudes_to_Nuclear_Power_and_Climate_change_in_Britain_synthesis_report.pdf
The work in this case study led to additional funding from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) to conduct a survey two years after the Fukushima accident. The survey was coordinated with a similar survey in Japan, allowing for a detailed comparison between the two countries to examine the long-term impacts of the Fukushima accident.