How do people perceive new developments in relation to nuclear energy: The role of values, risk perception and climate change perceptions (@Belgian Nuclear Research Center) | External internships

BACKGROUND

Due to the increasing concern about climate change, nuclear energy as a technology with little CO₂ emissions has become more important again. Several countries, including the Netherlands, have set out to build new nuclear installations, such as small modular reactors (SMRs). An important question is how citizens perceive and respond to nuclear developments.

Nuclear energy has traditionally received a lot of opposition, due to concerns about the current and future risks related to radiation. At the same time, it was seen as a reasonably reliable and affordable source of energy. Now that it can valuably contribute to reducing another risk - the risks associated with climate change - a new balance may arise between how people perceive and weigh the risks and benefits of nuclear energy.

This internship will take place in collaboration with the Belgian Nuclear Energy Research Center, SCKCEN, and the University of Twente. You will mostly work remote and at the UT, but will be regularly in contact with your SCKCEN and UT supervisors, and also visit the site of SCKCEN in Belgium a few times. You will be able to get a good insight into the day-to-day activities at the SCKCEN institute that has strong collaborations with many Europeans partners. The fieldwork for project 2 will take place in the Netherlands or Germany.

The internship will concern social scientific research in relation to nuclear energy and risks. The following three projects are available:

The role of values in decision making about energy technologies including nuclear energy. While one would for example expect that higher concern for climate change would lead to more support for nuclear energy (as it emits little greenhouse gases), studies suggest that people that are more concerned about climate change are less positive about nuclear energy (Durdovic et al., 2024). In this project you will review literature, and perform quantitative analyses using a multi-country dataset examining the role of values in perceptions of climate change and low-carbon technologies.
Public perception of small modular reactors (SMRs). One possible new way of providing nuclear energy is through smaller installations called Small Modular Reactors. In this project you will review literature on how citizens perceive SMRs, conduct focus groups with citizens about their opinion on SMRs, and analyse the data of the focus groups.
Public perception of non-electrical applications of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is generally used to generate electricity. However, it can also be directly used for desalination of water, or for generating heat. Little research is yet available on this topic. In this project you will review literature on how people perceive these non-electrical applications of nuclear power, you will perform quantitative data-analyses using a multi-country dataset to gain understanding into predictors of opinions on it, and you will develop a research plan for further research into the topic.

KEYWORDS

Nuclear energy; public acceptance; risk perception; public opinion surveys; focus groups

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ORGANIZATION

The Belgian Nuclear Energy Research Center performs technical and societal research around nuclear energy. The societal research includes a broad spectrum of topics around nuclear energy, including risk perception, risk responses, risk preparedness, risk communication, participation in decision making and media analyses. The Belgian Nuclear Energy Research Center, SCKCEN is in Belgium, not far from the Dutch border near Eindhoven.

REQUIREMENTS

Students must be fluent in English and specifically for project 2, fluency in Dutch or German is also very helpful.

AVAILABILITY

These three projects are each open to one student.

INTERESTED?

Please contact the PCRS internship coordinator Miriam Oostinga (m.s.d.oostinga@utwente.nl).