Attitudes toward possible food radiation contamination following the Fukushima nuclear accident: a nine-year, ten-wave panel survey

Abstract

After the Fukushima nuclear accident, we examined changes in risk perception regarding the radiation contamination of food and information-seeking behavior among residents of three regions progressively more distant from the disaster area, the Tokyo Metropolitan area to the Kansai area. We conducted a ten-wave panel survey and obtained data from 1,752 citizens six months to nine years after the accident. The results indicate that anxiety related to radioactive contamination, active information-seeking behavior, and avoidance of foods from affected areas decreased with time. Active information-seeking behavior and radiation-related knowledge were higher in the disaster-affected prefectures than in other areas. Conversely, avoidance of foods from affected areas was lower in affected prefectures than in the Kansai area. The credibility of government information increased from a considerably low level but did not reach the midpoint level. Multiple regression analysis, cross-lagged analysis, and structural equation modeling indicated that avoidance of foods from affected areas was promoted by anxiety related to radioactive contamination (experiential thinking/System 1) and inhibited by critical thinking attitudes (analytical thinking/System 2). Finally, we discussed the significance of risk literacy, which integrates risk-related knowledge, scientific literacy, media literacy, and critical thinking.

Keywords:

• Risk perception
• radiation hazard
• dual-process model
• critical thinking
• 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

Acknowledgement

The authors thank the Global Education Office, the Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, for providing support for publishing the paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 We chose married people as respondents so that we could ask them about the time they spent talking with partners.

2 The second column of Table 2 shows scale reliabilities (Cronbach’s α) at Time 1, which for self-rating scales ranged between .68 and .93, indicating a sufficient level of reliability. The α coefficients for the scales of knowledge of radiation health effects and radiation physics knowledge were low. This finding may reflect differences in the scores analyzed, ranging from correct response rates to responses to four-item rating scales.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (22228003, 15H02465, 19H00962).