A Multi-level Approach to the Global Climate Crisis and Nuclear Energy Acceptance: Targeting Generation MZ

This study aims to develop an integrating model of various factors influencing nuclear energy acceptance. A multi-level approach was utilized to classify various influencing factors into three categories. Various factors affecting nuclear energy acceptance were classified into three levels of category, that is, an individual, a social, and a national level. An individual level includes emotion and subjective knowledge factors, a social level includes subjective norms and media factors, and a national one includes trust factors toward government and nuclear energy management agencies. Six hypotheses are developed regarding these six factors and one hypothesis is established regarding perceived risk and nuclear energy acceptance. Empirical analysis found that four out of six hypotheses are supported except two hypotheses regarding social level factors, and hypothesis regarding perceived risk and nuclear energy acceptance was supported. This study targets the MZ generation’s perception and awareness. As the MZ generation are most aware of the severity of the climate crisis, it will give a useful information to find differences in perception between them and the older generation.