Who Finds out and Contributes to Energy Decisions in Switzerland after Fukushima?

Switzerland has a turbulent history with energy and nuclear energy in particular (i.e. many public demonstrations, popular initiatives on the subject, a ten-year moratorium accepted in 1990, etc). After the Fukushima accident, the Swiss Federal Council opted for withdrawal from nuclear energy in the horizon 2035. The issue of energy was intensively addressed in the media after the accident, following mainly four frames for science-related policy debates : the frame of governance and public accountability, of scientific and technical uncertainty, of alternative path, and, less frequently, of economic development (Crettaz von Roten, 2013). Surveys after the accident reported that public opinion were negative about nuclear energy. Is there a long-term effect of the accident on the population, or does the wider pattern of concerns (such as economic crisis, climate change) push into the background the energy issue?

 

This presentation aims to answer those questions by examining a survey realized on energy in a big town of a French-speaking part of Switzerland in 2013. Is the political decision, which occurred after little public consultation, accepted by the population two years after? What is the public affective imagery of nuclear power? Does the population continue to inform and debate on the subject? Do we find that trust relationships towards various stakeholders have been modified?