Of all the online information tools that the public relies on to collect information and share opinions about scientific and environmental issues, Twitter presents a unique venue to assess the spontaneous and genuine opinions of networked publics, including those about a focusing event like the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Using computational linguistic algorithms, this study analyzes a census of English-language tweets about nuclear power before, during, and after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Results show that although discourse about the event may have faded rapidly from the news cycle on traditional media, it evoked concerns about reactor safety and the environmental implications of nuclear power, particularly among users in U.S. states that are geographically closer to the accident site. Also, while the sentiment of the tweets was primarily pessimistic about nuclear power weeks after the accident, overall sentiment became increasingly neutral and uncertain over time. This study reveals there is a group of concerned citizens and stakeholders who are using online tools like Twitter to communicate about global and local environmental and health risks related to nuclear power. The implications for risk communication and public engagement strategies are discussed.
Associated Projects
TEAM MEMBERS
Nan Li
Author
Texas Tech University
Heather Akin
Author
University of Pennsylvania
Leona Yi-Fan Su
Author
University of Utah
Dominique Brossard
Author
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Michael Xenos
Author
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dietram Scheufele
Author
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Citation
ISSN
:
1824-2049
Publication Name:
Journal of Science Communication
Volume:
15
Number:
5
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