The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Public Acceptance of Nuclear Power: A Mediation Model

Abstract

Abstract Nuclear power, as a clean energy source, has been facing a blow after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Low public acceptance has severely restricted the nuclear power industry’s development. China government attaches great importance to the public acceptance of nuclear power and takes it as an important indicator for the approval of nuclear power projects. In the research of consumer domain, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is positively correlated with consumer support for enterprises, and the public is the ultimate consumer of nuclear power products. On this basis, hypotheses are proposed in this study: the public’s perception of the social responsibility of nuclear power enterprises can improve the public acceptance of nuclear power. Taking 211 residents around a nuclear power plant as the research object, this paper explores the impact of CSR perception on public acceptance of nuclear power and its path through questionnaire survey. The data analysis results of valid questionnaires showed that: (1) The percived CSR of nuclear power companies in China is divided into two dimensions, legal responsibility, economic&other responsibility, (2) The perceived legal responsibility has a positive effect on the public acceptance of nuclear power, and this effect is realized through the partial mediating effect of knowledge, dread risk perception and benefit perception.