Abstract:
In the process of risk communication of nuclear power plant projects, public distrust in risk managers is an important reason for the communication failure. This paper reviews the "dis-embedding" mechanism theory by Luhmann and Giddens, and constructs an explanatory framework for trust-building. Through the survey of residents around nuclear power plants in China, it is found that public' s nuclear power contact, interaction and participation, personal interest identity, and social benefit identity have a positive impact on the trust in risk managers, while the positive impact of nuclear power knowledge is not robust. The public's nuclear power knowledge and nuclear power contact have a negative impact on risk perception, while the negative impact of social benefit identification is not robust. The results show that there are two ways of trust-building: trust generated by familiarity and trust caused by fear, which verifies the dual logic of trust-building. Based on the research conclusions, this paper proposes that the trust in nuclear power risk managers can be rebuilt in three ways: keeping information open and transparent, instant response, and enhancing the benefits of residents nearby.