Public Risk Perceptions in a 'Double-Risk' Society: The Case of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania

Abstract

This article explores how public risk perceptions and attitudes to nuclear power in Lithuania are shaped by a complex blend of what Beck (1992) [ Risk Society. Towards a New Modernity, London, Sage ] in risk-society theory calls the social distribution of 'goods' and 'bads'. It argues that the Lithuanian society and several other transitional and developing societies are facing a 'double-risk': first, the complex uncertainty related to the transition to the market economy and democratic governance; second, the increasing social anxiety about high-consequence risks, such as those associated with nuclear power, and the inability of modern institutions to cope with such risks. Empirical evidence is provided by case-study material of the Ignalina nuclear power plant and public opinion survey results.