Between declared support and hidden fears: A complementary method of measuring public acceptance for nuclear energy in Poland
Między deklarowanym poparciem a ukrytymi obawami: alternatywny sposób badania poparcia społecznego dla rozwoju energii jądrowej w Polsce
Jarosław Ćwiek-Karpowicz
Streszczenie
Polish opinions on the construction of the first nuclear power plant have been regularly surveyed for nearly three
decades. Unstable support, fluctuating between 30 and 40 per cent, has risen sharply in recent years to over 80 per cent.
According to some, this unprecedented situation is linked to the threat of war and the need to strengthen military and energy
security. However, the experience of many countries that have opted for nuclear power shows that public support can quickly
collapse, among other things due to insufficient identification of hidden fears. This article proposes a method of researching
public attitudes towards the development of nuclear power that complements the survey method. It analyses the activity of
Internet users in terms of searching for terms related to the construction of various types of power plants, including nuclear
power plants, and co-occurring terms with positive and negative connotations (benefits vs. defects rate). The correlation results
indicate that Internet searches for information on the most negative consequences of power plant construction only occur in
the case of nuclear power, while searches for positive consequences occur in the case of other types of power plants. This leads
to the conclusion that despite the declared high support for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland, there
are still hidden fears in society about the development of this technology – and to a greater extent than for other energy sources.
decades. Unstable support, fluctuating between 30 and 40 per cent, has risen sharply in recent years to over 80 per cent.
According to some, this unprecedented situation is linked to the threat of war and the need to strengthen military and energy
security. However, the experience of many countries that have opted for nuclear power shows that public support can quickly
collapse, among other things due to insufficient identification of hidden fears. This article proposes a method of researching
public attitudes towards the development of nuclear power that complements the survey method. It analyses the activity of
Internet users in terms of searching for terms related to the construction of various types of power plants, including nuclear
power plants, and co-occurring terms with positive and negative connotations (benefits vs. defects rate). The correlation results
indicate that Internet searches for information on the most negative consequences of power plant construction only occur in
the case of nuclear power, while searches for positive consequences occur in the case of other types of power plants. This leads
to the conclusion that despite the declared high support for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland, there
are still hidden fears in society about the development of this technology – and to a greater extent than for other energy sources.