Nuclear Energy: The Accuracy of Policy Makers' Perceptions of Public Beliefs

The risks associated with alternative energy systems, and public perceptions of these risks, have become important considerations in the formulation of energy policies. An earlier research memorandum (Otway and Fishbein 1977) reported a study of the attitudes and beliefs held by a sample of the Austrian public with respect to nuclear energy; an extension of the study to compare the beliefs held about five alternative energy sources has also been described (Thomas et al. 1980). The present research report analyzes the attitudes and underlying beliefs, with respect to nuclear energy, of senior Austrian civil servants in the Ministry responsible for energy matters, who were in a position to influence energy policies. It also reports on the accuracy of their perceptions of the attitudes and beliefs of those subgroups of the public sample most in favor of and most against the use of nuclear energy