Laypeople's Understanding of Radioactivity and Radiation

Abstract

It may be argued that the population should have sufficient understanding of radiation phenomena to secure individual safety as well as democratic decisions. To attain this, it is necessary for the communicators of radiation information to be familiar with the lay person's perceptions of these phenomena. A questionnaire survey was conducted to examine non-experts' conceptions of radiation phenomena. The survey revealed incomplete understanding of concepts such as radioactive decay, half-life and absorption of radiation and a lack of differentiation between radiation and radioactive material. Many respondents did not distinguish between sources of ionising radiation and other environmental hazards. Nuclear power plants and submarines were the most feared sources of radiation. There are indications that the lay understanding of radiation phenomena and risk is to a large extent formed by mass media and that 'school knowledge' of these phenomena is not applied in situations belonging to the 'real world'. To resolve this problem, new teaching and information procedures are needed. These should take into account the learners' preconceptions and should integrate 'school knowledge' with considerations belonging to the 'real world'.