Survey on nuclear power plants
Majority of German's no longer want any new nuclear power plants
31.08.2006 |Sascha Gabizon
Two weeks after the news of the incident at the Swedish nuclear power plant Forsmark, a survey was carried out by Forsa on behalf of the Federal Environment Ministry regarding opinions on the safety of nuclear power plants and the phase-out of nuclear power (survey period: 15/16 August 2006).
73% of Germans consider the risk of an accident at nuclear power plants to be too high. 18% of all Germans consider the threat of a major nuclear disaster such as in Chernobyl 20 years ago to be just as great now as it was then. 53% believe that nuclear power plants are now safer worldwide but nevertheless personally consider the risk of an accident to be too high.
Only 2% believe that nuclear power plants are now safe and that there is no danger of an accident. 26% are of the opinion that the risk of an accident has decreased worldwide over the past 20 years at least to such a degree that the remaining risk can be accepted. Under 30-year olds - in other words those that do not remember the Chernobyl disaster - state this somewhat more often that older people.
62% of Germans are of the opinion that the pace of the nuclear phase-out should be maintained or accelerated. This view was expressed across all age groups; only 55% stated this in the 60+ age group.
15% of Germans are of the opinion that the pace of the nuclear phase-out should be slowed down. A further 18% are in principle against a phase-out. The majority of the population (51%) consider nuclear power to be a large threat or a very large threat to themselves and their families. 33% of all Germans stated that nuclear power plants, possible attacks on nuclear power plants, nuclear shipments and radioactive wastes represent a large threat to themselves and their families; a further 18% consider these to represent a very large threat (40% see a minor threat, 8% no threat whatsoever.) Across all age groups the majority see a large threat or very large threat to themselves and their families; in the age group 18- to 29-year olds only, 44% consider the threat to be very large or large.
