Subjective reasoning for persistent worry about radiation seven years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster: a qualitative analysis

Worry about radiation is a long-lasting concern among community residents after a nuclear power plant accident. We aimed to explore the reasons behind this persistent worry based on descriptions collected from the affected population. We analyzed the descriptions provided in a questionnaire survey by those who worried about radiation even seven years after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. We divided the 422 respondents into three groups according to their change in worry since the accident: those whose worry increased (N = 40), remained unchanged (N = 179), and decreased (N = 203). Among them, 35 (87.5%), 141 (78.8%), and 152 (74.9%) respondents described the reasons for their increased, unchanged, and decreased worry about radiation, respectively. Using content analysis, we categorized the descriptions within each group. A characteristic category in the increased worry group was “the increase in worry due to the increase in knowledge and information.” Some in this group referred to their “current health conditions” as well, which deteriorated after the accident. While many in the decreased worry group referred to the passage of time and the implemented countermeasures for radiation contamination, those in the unchanged worry group pointed to the “unchanged circumstances” after the accident. Even when countermeasures for radiation contamination had been implemented and information on radiation had been disseminated, those who did not recognize that these changes have been made since the disaster might keep their worry about radiation, and some might increase their worry by having new information or health problems that occurred after the accident.