The Great Nuclear Shift

Studying the dynamics behind the gradual evolution of public opinion towards a consensus on nuclear as a green energy.

Challenges

• Analysing the dissemination of pro- and anti-nuclear narratives from a long-term perspective

• Characterising the sociological trajectories and the impact of pro- and anti- communities and leaders

Solutions

• Multiplatform (Twitter, Reddit, Youtube) and multilingual (French, English, German, Italian) data collection going back to 2010

• Analysing the dissemination of relevant narratives and communities through the creation of an original tool combining topic mining and network analysis

Results

• Description of the way an "alarmist" post-Fukushima vision of nuclear power gave way to new narratives on the role it could play in the climate crisis

• Analysis of its gradual shift in significance from a taboo topic to a token element of the political and even governmental discourse

• Detailed mapping of the anti- and pro- communities retracing their struggle for the final say in public perception of nuclear power

The study is not publicly available.