Support for nuclear energy development in Germany and Poland

Data for the article: Support for nuclear power and proenvironmental attitudes: The cases of Germany and Poland. Article abstract: Europe's energy system faces significant challenges in reducing its dependence on imports and decarbonising itself. In this context, a resurgence of discussion has occurred in recent years about the future role of nuclear power, which currently supplies one-quarter of the European Union’s electricity. Key obstacles that limit the development of this technology are low public support and the perception that this type of energy is particularly harmful to the environment. We investigate the relationship between support for the development of nuclear power and environmental values, knowledge, cognitive abilities, and assessment of the effectiveness of mitigation measures using data from random-quota surveys in Germany (n=933) and Poland (n=878). Using a logistic regression model, we demonstrate that support for nuclear power is significantly higher in Poland than in Germany, and that—contrary to the results of previous studies—in Poland, support for nuclear power relates less negatively to environmental values. It also relates positively to the degree of public knowledge—both about nuclear energy and the causes of climate change. Our findings contribute to understanding of the mechanisms that shape attitudes towards nuclear power and to assessing its potential for public support in the European Union. Study highlights: 1. Support for nuclear power is twice as high in Poland as in Germany. 2. No fixed link exists between environmental attitudes and support for nuclear power. 3. Negative views of nuclear power coincide with low knowledge of the causes of climate change. 4. Those who lack knowledge of climate change hold the most varied attitudes towards nuclear energy. 5. In Poland, those who understand the causes of climate change demonstrate both environmental values and high support for nuclear power. Information about a dataset: The data was collected as part of the original survey, conducted in June 2019, using random stratified samples in Germany and Poland. The participants were adults (18–55 years old), with at least a secondary education. These sample selection criteria were imposed to reduce potential difficulties with computer use among older people or with understanding the questions among those who lack secondary education. Hypothesis that were verified using the dataset: H1. Pro-environmental and pro-climate attitudes are paired with low support for nuclear energy. H2. In Poland, pro-environmental and pro-climate attitudes have less of a negative impact on support for nuclear energy development than in Germany. H3. Knowledge about nuclear power and the causes of climate change is linked to greater support for the development of nuclear power.论文配套数据集：《核电支持与亲环境态度（proenvironmental attitudes）：以德国与波兰为例》 论文摘要：欧洲能源体系在降低能源进口依赖与实现自身脱碳的进程中，面临诸多严峻挑战。在此背景下，近年来围绕核电未来定位的讨论再度兴起——当前核电占欧洲联盟（European Union）总发电量的四分之一。制约该技术发展的核心障碍在于公众支持度不足，以及公众普遍认为此类能源对环境具有显著危害性。本研究依托德国（n=933）与波兰（n=878）的随机配额抽样调查（random-quota surveys）数据，探究核电发展支持度与环境价值观（environmental values）、知识储备、认知能力以及减排措施（mitigation measures）有效性评估之间的关联。本研究采用逻辑回归模型（logistic regression model）分析后发现，波兰公众的核电支持度显著高于德国；且与既往研究结论相悖的是，在波兰，核电支持度与环境价值观的负相关程度更低。同时，核电支持度与公众对核电及气候变化（climate change）成因的认知水平呈正相关。本研究结果有助于厘清影响公众核电态度的作用机制，并为评估欧洲联盟范围内核电获得公众支持的潜力提供参考。 研究亮点： 1. 波兰公众的核电支持度约为德国的两倍。 2. 环境态度与核电支持度之间不存在固定关联。 3. 对核电的负面看法与气候变化成因认知不足相伴而生。 4. 缺乏气候变化成因认知的群体，其核电态度呈现最强的多样性。 5. 在波兰，理解气候变化成因的公众同时兼具环境价值观与较高的核电支持度。 数据集说明：本数据集取自2019年6月开展的原始调研，调研采用德国与波兰的分层随机抽样方案。调研对象为18至55岁、至少接受过中等教育的成年人。设置此类样本筛选标准，旨在降低老年群体使用电脑的潜在困难，以及低中等教育背景受访者理解问卷内容的障碍。 本数据集验证的研究假设： H1. 亲环境（proenvironmental）与亲气候（pro-climate）态度与核电支持度偏低相伴。 H2. 在波兰，亲环境与亲气候态度对核电发展支持度的负面影响弱于德国。 H3. 对核电及气候变化成因的认知水平越高，公众对核电发展的支持度越高。