Attitudes toward nuclear power and energy-saving behavior among Japanese households

Abstract

We conducted Internet surveys to evaluate Japanese attitudes toward nuclear power and energy-saving behavior after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster. In the first part of the paper, we examined the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and acceptance of nuclear power in light of global warming. Like previous researchers, we found that nuclear power was supported more by males and those who have spent longer in education. However, nuclear power received less support from seniors. In the second part of the paper, we examined the relationship between electricity demand and acceptance of nuclear power. We find that opponents of nuclear power use electrical appliances less intensively at home and reduced their electricity use during the power shortage period after the nuclear accident. By contrast, supporters of nuclear power use electrical appliances more intensively and did not engage in energy-saving behavior. The elasticity of electricity demand explains attitudes toward nuclear power.