Public's Risk Response-behavior And Information Communication Research In The Situation Of Nuclear Power Plants Constuction

Nuclear power development is a controversial issue in the post-Fukushima era.The"not-in-my-backyard"(NIMBY)attitude is a serious problem which hinders the development of nuclear power industry.With the improvement of public's awareness of environmental protection and legal rights,the public may take different psychological and behavioral responses because of the environmental and health risks caused by the construction of nuclear power projects.The risk response-behaviors were classified into positive response-behavior(such as,risk information-seeking behavior,behavior to resist the nuclear power projects)and risk-averse behavior(such as,relocation,buying radiation protection supplies).This study mainly focus on the public positive response-behavior in the situation of nuclear power plants construction,because public's relocation was generally guided by the government and restricted by their economic conditions,and the public's behavior of buying radiation protection supplies occurs after the nuclear accident.The fundamental cause of public high risk perception of nuclear power projects is inefficient and non-specific risk communication.The social problems caused by public's fear about nuclear power projects has become a popular topic at home and abroad.However,there are few empirical research about public risk response-behavior and the strategy of risk communication in nuclear power projects.Based on the empirical background of Haiyang nuclear power in Shandong province,the main works are as follows:(1)Researching public risk information-seeking intentions in the situation of nuclear power plants construction.Based on the risk information seeking and processing model(RISP),the framework for risk information and seeking(FRIS)and the planned risk information seeking model(PRISM),this study analyzed the factors that influenced the individual's risk information-seeking intentions and constructed a hypothetical model to explore this issue.This model was tested through empirical investigation and structural equation model(SEM).The results found that information need played an important role as a mediating variable in this model.Infonnation need is a significant predictor of information-seeking intentions.Perceived knowledge has a positive influence on risk perception,information need and risk information-seeking intentions.Furthermore,the public are more willing to seek information through information channel that they believed in.Channel belief has a negative influence on information need.Risk perception has a positive influence on information need.However,the direct effect of perceived risk on information-seeking intent was nonsignificant in this study.(2)Researching the resident's behavioral intentions to resist the nuclear power projects in the vicinity in the situation of a nuclear power plant construction.Based on the protective action decision model(PADM)and the influence factors of nuclear NIMBY syndrome,this study analyzed the factors that influence the individual's behavioral intentions to resist nuclear power projects and constructed a hypothetical model to explore this issue.This model was tested through empirical investigation and SEM.The results found that NIMBY syndrome,perceived knowledge and risk perception significantly influence individual's behavioral intentions to resist nuclear power projects.Perceived knowledge is important in predicting risk perception,benefit perception,nuclear NIMBY syndrome,and behavioral intentions.Moreover,two inverted-U relationships for perceived knowledge with the NIMBY attitude and with behavioral intentions are observed.Public participation and information acquisition have an indirect effect on behavioral intentions through perceive knowledge.The nuclear NIMBY syndrome and behavioral intentions of residents were also significantly stimulated by perceived risks,but failed to be motivated by perceived benefits.(3)Analyzing the differences of public's risk response-behavior in different residential distances.This study analyzed the differences of two different groups—living in the core areas(within 10 kilometers away from the nuclear power plant)and the non-core areas(without 10 kilometers)—to explore this issue.The results showed that the residential distance had a significant role as a moderating variable.The government and nuclear enterprise should take different risk communication strategies in two different regions.(4)Researching the risk communication in the process of nuclear power plant construction.Based on risk communication framework,this study analyzed information disclosure,public participation,information acquisition,and trust in government and nuclear enterprise in the process of Haiyang nuclear power plant construction using the method of case study.The results showed that the decision-making of development on nuclear power was dominated by a "iron nuclear triangle" of national governmental department,nuclear enterprises and research institutions.The increment of information disclosure from the traditional media,network media,and nuclear enterprise as a secondary information source was relate to the policy of the stage of nuclear power plant construction and the development of nuclear power.Public participation and information acquisition has been very limited in the entire process of nuclear power plant construction.Public access to information is mainly from the traditional media.The residents have relatively low levels of trust in information disclosure of the local government and nuclear enterprise.Finally,this study developed some guidelines for successful risk communication.The main contributions of this study are as follows:(1)Developing a hypothesis model of public risk information-seeking intentions in the situation of a nuclear power plant construction,and extending the application range of the RISP model,and enriching the research fields of information-seeking behavior.(2)Developing a hypothesis model of public behavioral intentions to resist nuclear power projects,extending the application areas of the PADM model from natural hazards to technological risk,and strengthening and deepening the application of PADM model.(3)Revealing the role of social-psychological factors such as risk perception to risk response-behavioral intentions which enriches the research fields of risk perception.(4)Exploring firstly the role of residential distance as a moderator in the risk response-behavior model.(5)Providing valuable suggestions for risk communication based on the results of risk response-behavioral intentions,which enriches the research fields of risk communication and provides a newly theoretical and practical basis for risk management.