Generaties: vertrouwen en kernenergie

This study focuses on the relationship between political trust and the perception on the use of nuclear energy within two generations in the Netherlands: the protest generation (1940-1959) and generation Z (1995-2010). By means of quantitative research, an attempt has been made to answer the question: ‘To what extent does political trust influence the perception of nuclear energy use among Dutch citizens, and are there differences between the protest generation and generation Z?’ By using surveys, the differences in political trust and perception on the use of nuclear energy were investigated, as well as the influence of two mediating variables; cognitive dissonance and affective intelligence, and the moderating variable; political ideology. The results show that generation Z is generally more positive about the use of nuclear energy than the protest generation, while both generations have a relatively low political trust. The relation between political trust and the perception on the use of nuclear energy was shown to be significantly correlated in the protest generation, this was however not the case in generation Z. While the mediating variable cognitive dissonance turned out to be of low methodological consistency, affective intelligence seemed to have a mediating function within the protest generation, specifically emotions like uncertainty, worry, anger, and frustration. The moderating variable political ideology only seemed to influence the relation between the two main variables for the protest generation. The findings underline the importance of political trust in the relation between political trust and the perception on the use of nuclear energy, which underlines the cruciality of political trust in generating support for nuclear energy use, and urge its bolstering via public involvement, openness, and a nuanced portrayal in the media. In addition, this study also shows the importance of inclusive policymaking and intergenerational discussion.