Mean risk magnitude judgments expressed by Belgian and French students
on 107 items combining a particular energy domain (wood and biomass,
coal, gas, oil, nuclear, water, wind, geothermal and solar) and a part
icular aspect of the energy production process (obtaining raw material
s, storage of raw materials, transport of raw materials, energy produc
tion, waste products related to energy production, energy transport, w
aste products transport, waste products storage, utilization of energy
) are reported, and analyzed. Questions were of the form: What is the
level of risk (for health and the environment) associated with the ite
m ''Electrical energy production by thermodynamic conversion''? Concer
ning energy domains, nuclear energy received the highest ratings, almo
st regardless of the aspect of the energy production process considere
d (from the extraction of raw materials to the storage of production w
astes). This was followed by oil, obtaining the next highest ratings a
fter those for nuclear energy, then gas, considered more risky than bi
omass and coal. The brand image of these two latter energy sources wou
ld be almost as positive as that of water, solar, geothermal and wind
energy if a solution could be found to the problem of atmospheric emis
sion of carbon monoxide. Concerning production process aspects, waste
products (as well as the transport and storage of waste) received the
highest ratings. This is not unrelated to the fact that the vast major
ity of studies devoted to a particular area or particular aspect have
concerned nuclear waste. in contrast, no very high degree of concern w
as found regarding the energy (electrical) transport aspect.