Survey: People living near Czech nuclear power plants have enough information about them

Two-thirds of people living near the Temelín and Dukovany nuclear power plants believe they have enough reliable information about the plants’ operations and safety. This was found in the first survey of its kind, conducted by researchers from the Institute of Public Health at Masaryk University’s Faculty of Medicine in Brno and the SYRI National Institute, which reported the findings in a press release.

„Around a third of respondents are dissatisfied with how information is disseminated, including those who did not answer this question in the questionnaires at all. Men generally consider the information more reliable than women do. People over 43 also expressed significantly greater concern about the safety of nuclear power plants,“ said study author Anton Dubov.

Some respondents would welcome greater interactivity in the provision of information, citing webinars or discussions with experts as examples.

„Overall, the study indicated a need to improve risk communication strategies. Risk communication is one of the pillars of health risk management and one of the prerequisites for creating healthy living conditions and improving quality-of-life indicators. Put simply, where people are afraid and anxious, the health of the population deteriorates,“ Dubov added.

The researchers collected data from April to November 2023 among residents with close ties to the Temelín or Dukovany power plant. They primarily contacted residents of the towns of Týn nad Vltavou, Protivín, Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, Náměšť nad Oslavou and Ivančice, as well as nearby municipalities. The main aims of this independent study included assessing residents’ attitudes towards information about nuclear power plants available to them from official sources.