Risk eller Resurs
En studie av hur riskbegreppet konstrueras i den svenska kärnkraftsdebatten
Looking at the debate on nuclear power in Sweden, the issue of risk is central to understanding the difficulties in resolving differences between proponents and opponents. I sought to answer the research question: "how is the concept of risk constructed in the nuclear power debate in Sweden?" Four main aspects of risk construction were defined and investigated to identify differences between sides in the debate. Through a qualitative study of the debate and its actors I found clear differences in respect to all four aspects of risk construction. First, the perception of nuclear power as a "normal risk" is common among nuclear opponents in contrast to a largely probabilistic view among proponents. Second, proponents to a greater extent belong to a SARF-view on the lay-expert divide, reserving risk construction for experts, while opponents emphasize a PUS-view with acknowledgement of lay knowledge in constructing risk. Third, epistemic risk among opponents is present in risk construction regarding several of the hardest questions of the nuclear debate while proponents place greater trust in the existing science. Finally, the concept of an affect heuristic seems to apply to all groups, although in different sequences of influence, explaining in part recent developments of the debate.