Papers by Ana Prades Lopez
Aunque tanto responsables políticos como ciudadanos coinciden al reconocer la gravedad del proble... more Aunque tanto responsables políticos como ciudadanos coinciden al reconocer la gravedad del problema del cambio climático y la consiguiente necesidad de acción las iniciativas públicas orientadas a modificar nuestro comportamiento de modo que sea más "sostenible" no alcanzan la eficiencia esperada. El proyecto Pachelbel coordinado desde el CISOT-CIEMAT y en el que participan 10 instituciones de seis países europeos (Alemania, Francia, España, Reino Unido, Rumanía y Suecia), está desarrollando una herramienta (Stave) para estimular la eficiencia de las iniciativas orientadas a fomentar hábitos sostenibles entre la ciudadanía
This analysis provides a contribution to understand the social construction of nuclear power imag... more This analysis provides a contribution to understand the social construction of nuclear power imagery in contemporary societies. Media coverage and risk perception of nuclear energy after Fukushima Soon after the nuclear accident in Japan some research on media coverage and framing of nuclear energy was carried out. Perko et al (2011) published a study on two Belgium newspapers (Le Soir and De Standaard), which focused on the role of media in shaping public views about the accident and also in risk communication of nuclear power. The authors argue that media "form a link between the emergency actors and the risk perception among the population" (Perko et al, 2011: 10). In a research that addresses the social dimensions of nuclear power after the events in Fukushima, Butler et al (2011) identify a set of 'interpretative packages' that illustrate the media coverage of the accident. The role of media is considered to be crucial in the relationship between government and public, mainly in the shared construction of cultural meanings, risk perception and risk communication of nuclear power. Another study immediately after the accident is the one conducted by Sharon Friedman (2011). This study compares the coverage of the accident in Fukushima with two other previous nuclear events-Chernobyl, on April 26, 1986 and Three Mile Island, on March 26, 1979. Ultimately, what distinguishes the media coverage of the accident in Japan are the volume, speed and quality of information flowing in various media. Accessibility of the public and interactive processes between public and journalists, channelled by the Internet, were also identified as distinct features. 1 EFDA during FP7-Reinforced coordination of physics and technology in EU laboratories Part 7, available on: http://www.efda.org/newsletter/efda-during-fp7-%E2%80%93-reinforced-coordination-of-physicsand-technology-in-eu-laboratories-part-7-2/
Percepcions de l'Agenda 21 per part de les organitzacions signants del Compromís ciutadà per la s... more Percepcions de l'Agenda 21 per part de les organitzacions signants del Compromís ciutadà per la sostenibilitat Josep Espluga (IGOP-UAB), Ana Prades (CIEMAT), Àlex Boso (IGOP-UAB) Per tal d'esbrinar les percepcions, les experiències i les expectatives que les entitats signants del Compromís ciutadà per la sostenibilitat tenen sobre l'Agenda 21 de Barcelona s'ha realitzat un estudi avaluador en el marc d'un projecte més ampli d'anàlisi de polítiques públiques ambientals (PACHELBEL 1). A aquest efecte es van entrevistar amb profunditat vint persones responsables d'una mostra estructuralment representativa del conjunt d'entitats signants del Compromís ciutadà per la sostenibilitat. 2 A continuació s'exposen alguns dels principals resultats.
The role of social sciences as a bridge connecting science and society is being increasingly reco... more The role of social sciences as a bridge connecting science and society is being increasingly recognized. Successive risk crisis leads to public distrust in science and its capacity to control the negative effects of technological developments. Therefore, in democratic societies, trying to impose conflicting or questioned technologies does not make sense any more. From nuclear energy to genetically modified organisms, from electric vehicles to specific vaccines, there are plenty of examples of consumers’ rejection and social barriers to technological development. In this context, understanding the social factors underlying the social acceptance of technologies becomes essential. Furthermore, the development of enhance (two-way) communication between scientist and citizens to properly incorporate concerns and expectations of all affected parties when agreeing the future paths for science and technologies turns also to be crucial. This is the framework for social scientist – specially ...
Risk perception has become an important topic to policy makers concerned with technology and the ... more Risk perception has become an important topic to policy makers concerned with technology and the environment, and the psychological analysis of this construct has attracted much interest. Psychological research on risk perception has been dominated by the psychometric paradigm which has been fruitful in bringing up important issues in research. Yet, most of the conclusions reached in the paradigm are not sufficiently well based on empirical data and appropriate analyses. Results are presented here which show the prevalence of risk for energy attitudes, the importance of Tampering with Nature as a new risk dimension accounting for much of the perceived risk of nuclear waste, widely different levels but similar correlational structures of risk perception data for experts and the public, moderately strong correlations between perceived risk and trust (especially specific trust rather than general trust), and demand for risk mitigation being related most strongly to seriousness of consequences of a hazard, not the risk of an accident or the riskiness of the activity. Risk perception is related to conceptions of knowledge which stress the limits of science and different, New Age type, ways of knowing. Finally, interest emerged as an important predictor of demand for risk mitigation. A conceptualization of the risk perceiver, based on these results, is briefly discussed. 1. Paper supported by a grant from the Bank of Sweden Tercentary Fund, project "Neglected Risks".
This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received... more This work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 under grant agreement No 633053. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.
Revista Internacional de Sociología, 2009
En este artículo se reflexiona sobre el papel de la confianza en la configuración de las percepci... more En este artículo se reflexiona sobre el papel de la confianza en la configuración de las percepciones y respuestas sociales de una población expuesta a una nueva instalación tecnológica, concretamente ante la implantación de un Centro de Investigación sobre la combustión limpia de carbón en un territorio minero del noroeste de España. Para ello, mediante una estrategia metodológica que integra técnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas, se analizan las percepciones ciudadanas en el momento del anuncio de la creación de dicha instalación tecnológica. Los resultados permiten discutir el peso que habitualmente se tiende a otorgar a la confianza en las instituciones gestoras del riesgo en la configuración de las percepciones públicas, así como en la mayor o menor aceptación social de ciertas tecnologías emergentes.
Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies, 2010
Abstract This article, grounded in an empirical study carried out in the Tarragona petrochemical ... more Abstract This article, grounded in an empirical study carried out in the Tarragona petrochemical complex (Spain), explores how key actors operating in this specific social and organizational context perceive petrochemical communication activities. Data compiled ...
Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 2014
Conflictos socioambientales • Conocimiento tecnológico • Movilización social • Percepción del rie... more Conflictos socioambientales • Conocimiento tecnológico • Movilización social • Percepción del riesgo• Riesgo tecnológico • Tarragona Los estudios sobre percepción social del riesgo se han solido centrar en el estudio de conflictos sociales motivados por tecnologías y eventos potencialmente peligrosos. En este artículo, en cambio, se intenta comprender por qué en determinados casos la población expuesta a un riesgo evidente no protesta ni se moviliza activamente en su contra. A partir de un estudio de caso en el área petroquímica de Tarragona, con datos de una serie de grupos de discusión (8) y de una encuesta por cuestionario (N=400), se analizan las percepciones y prácticas de la población en relación al riesgo. Los resultados han permitido descartar motivos de ignorancia de los riesgos y ponderar la importancia de los beneficios relacionados con la exposición al riesgo, así como comprender el papel fundamental de la confianza y de la dependencia en un contexto social e institucional caracterizado por una fuerte asimetría en las relaciones de poder.
Los estudios sobre percepción social del riesgo se han solido centrar en el estudio de conflictos... more Los estudios sobre percepción social del riesgo se han solido centrar en el estudio de conflictos sociales motivados por tecnologías y eventos potencialmente peligrosos. En este artículo, en cambio, se intenta comprender por qué en determinados casos la población expuesta a un riesgo evidente no protesta ni se moviliza activamente en su contra. A partir de un estudio de caso en el área petroquímica de Tarragona, con datos de una serie de grupos de discusión (8) y de una encuesta por cuestionario (N=400), se analizan las percepciones y prácticas de la población en relación al riesgo. Los resultados han permitido descartar motivos de ignorancia de los riesgos y ponderar la importancia de los beneficios relacionados con la exposición al riesgo, así como comprender el papel fundamental de la confianza y de la dependencia en un contexto social e institucional caracterizado por una fuerte asimetría en las relaciones de poder.
Science and Public Policy, 2008
This paper reports on a review of the empirical evidence about lay perceptions of nuclear fusion.... more This paper reports on a review of the empirical evidence about lay perceptions of nuclear fusion. It does so in the light of the wider social science literature on public perception of new technologies and their risks, especially technologies which, like fusion, have large research and development programmes. Our findings point to multiple distinct modes by which lay publics, in specific circumstances, come to understand fusion. Whilst broadly in line with the well-established critique of the deficit thinking, our findings point to the need for further investigations into the capacity of technical and material aspects of fusion and other technologies to engender specific patterns of understanding. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research, and for the efficacy of future attempts by the fusion community to communicate and engage with lay publics.
Journal of Risk Research, 2009
This paper aims to gain a better understanding of the role played by trust in the context of scar... more This paper aims to gain a better understanding of the role played by trust in the context of scarcity of public information, vis-a-vis the installation of a Centre for Investigation in Advanced Technologies (Centro de Investigacion de Tecnologias Avanzadas, CITA) to be located in a coal-rich ...
BIBLIOTECA DE CIENCIAS Consejo editorial Alan L. Mackay (Fellow of the Royal Society) Gerardo Pas... more BIBLIOTECA DE CIENCIAS Consejo editorial Alan L. Mackay (Fellow of the Royal Society) Gerardo Pastor (CSIC) Juan José Sánchez (CIEMAT) Juan Carlos Sanz (CIEMAT) Manuel Torres (CSIC) Enrique Velázquez (CSN) Cada día con más fuerza las cien-cias se introducen ...
nrpa.no
Page 1. StrålevernRapport 1999:9 Radiation and nuclear risk - Considerations for those affected A... more Page 1. StrålevernRapport 1999:9 Radiation and nuclear risk - Considerations for those affected A RISKPERCOM summary report Jon B.Reitan, Claire Mays, Ana Lena Cebrián Lindström, Lennart Sjöberg, Arnfinn Tønnessen Page 2. Kr. 100,- ...
Rhizikon: Risk research …, 2000
""SUMMARY The analyses had a focus on comparisons of th... more ""SUMMARY The analyses had a focus on comparisons of the factors country and wave. Background variables concerned with gender, education and occupational orientation were also systematically investigated. In general, there were no or small effects due to wave. In contrast to wave, several obvious differences were found related to countries, as well as to gender. Furthermore, there were few obvious main effects associated with education and occupational orientation. The tenth anniversary of Chernobyl did not seem to obviously influence ratings on perceptions of risks. However, a tentative indication of indirect influence by media on ratings of perception of risks was found. The most frequent main categories, derived from the open-ended questions, were concerned with quality of life, environment, health and lifestyle, and violence and aggression. These categories covered 81% of ‘worries for others’, 80% of ‘own worries’, and 60% of ‘risks that come to mind’. No obvious main effects of occupational orientation across country were found. Natural and social science practitioners, economists, and persons busy in computer technology and engineering, irrespectively of country, did not seem to have a similar risk perception. Moreover, few influences of level of education were found. Education covaried negatively with perceptions of personal and general risks. While demographic factors as education and occupational orientation did not explain the variation among the various issues in the study, the influence of gender was obvious. Risks were rated higher and the safety in Western NPPs were rated lower by female respondents compared to men. These results were in accordance with results in previous studies. It was also found that female respondents’ ratings of risks were more optimistically biased in comparison to men. The respondents’ perceptions and valuations of risks, their experiences and valuations of the Chernobyl accident, and their perceived trust in authorities and effects of communication of risks often differed across countries. French and Spanish respondents rated personal and general risks higher than did the other respondents. Ratings of nuclear related issues were less optimistically biased than were non-nuclear issues. Moreover, the dimension of unnatural risk was positively related to nuclear risk, and this factor was much more important than the traditional ‘psychometric’ factors. The need for mitigation of risks was high. Mainly, mitigation was explained by authorities’ knowledge of risks and general risks. An important finding was that the same regressors influenced mitigation, irrespectively of level of analysis, i.e. by use of aggregated measures across specific risks, or by using ratings related to specific risks. ""
Journal of Risk Research, 2011
This paper examines the determinants of trust in public information on technological risk in a pe... more This paper examines the determinants of trust in public information on technological risk in a petrochemical complex located in Tarragona (Spain). Data from focus groups (8) and a questionnaire survey (n=400) are drawn together to analyse how two local communities exposed to major chemical hazards perceive information on risk and its sources. Results show how trust relies on two main factors, namely, expertise and trustworthiness, that are significantly influenced by a third one, antagonism. Results also illustrate the relevance of the institutional context when understanding how communities give meaning to the available information on risk.
Uploads
Papers by Ana Prades Lopez