Perceived Risk, Trust in Government, and Response to Repository Siting in the United States

by Michael E. Kraft, Univ of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: High Level Radioactive Waste Management 1991

Abstract:

Conflicts over the siting of high-level radioactive waste repositories have been intense and unrelenting. Public and state opposition to implementation of the U.S. Nuclear Waste Policy Act is tied closely to the perception of unacceptably high repository risks and to lack of trust and confidence in governmental agencies, particularly the Department of Energy. This paper explores the relationship of perceived risk, trust in government, and opposition to repository siting in the United States in an attempt to clarify the conditions of successful implementation of nuclear waste policy in the decades ahead.

Subject Headings: Radioactive wastes | Waste disposal | Public policy | Nuclear power | Government | Risk management | Radioactive materials | United States

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