Fusion energy: A deeper look into attitudes among the general public

Abstract

Already in the 1990′s, the Fusion Project Evaluation Board recognised the need for social research to gain

understanding on public opinion towards fusion and on elements that can contribute to build trust among the

different actors in the field. The SERF program (Socioeconomic Research on Fusion) was then started. In 2014,

public awareness and acceptance of fusion energy was re-confirmed by EURO fusion as crucial, for both sociological

research and the fusion community. Given that fusion is not a hot issue among most publics, it is little

known and distant from daily life, properly researching public attitudes towards fusion entails important

methodological challenges. To address these challenges, this paper uses a combined qualitative- quantitative

approach to examine public attitudes towards fusion. Data were collected with open and closed questions included

in a survey among Belgian adults (N=365 respondents who said they had previously heard of fusion

energy), using Computer Assisted Personal Interviews. The quantitative analysis showed that the most influential

predictors of attitudes towards fusion are the attitudes towards nuclear energy, the attitudes towards science and

technology, and the perceived importance of costs and time needed to develop fusion energy. Our qualitative

evidence confirms that nuclear fission does play a key role in the sense making about fusion, as a key device to

define fusion was its comparison with fission (either as a new, different, nuclear or as a still dangerous nuclear).

The results also showed some evidence that a new ‘fusion brand’ emerged spontaneously among the survey

participants; respondents who mobilised the new brand referred to fusion as endless and clean energy that could

solve our energy problem, and as scientific progress. Based on results, we discuss implications for fusion research

and development.