Abstract
The nuclear accident in Japan 2011 was followed by massive media coverage. As nuclear power is a hot political topic and news media coverage is an important factor in opinion building, it is of interest to analyse what impact the catastrophe in Fukushima and the triggered media coverage had on people's opinion on nuclear power and its risks.
This article is based on a survey mandated by the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI), which was carried out one year after the nuclear accident in Fukushima.
Yes, the Fukushima accident did affect people's opinion on nuclear power. Even before the accident the majority of the Swiss population was against nuclear power and after the accident the negative opinion was stronger.
The trust in the authorities, science and nuclear power plant operators also suffered under Fukushima, but they did catch up quite well until one year after the accident. This also reflects that the survey participants are more worried about a nuclear accident abroad than in Switzerland.
Are those results based on the accident and the following media coverage? Almost 80 % mentioned to have heard or read about nuclear power and nuclear power plants in the media, so to assume an influence is not far-fetched. However only 15 % did actively search for information about nuclear power, but the big majority did talk to others about nuclear power. Thus the media coverage triggered interest and follow-up interpersonal communication.