doxa.comunicación | nº 31, pp. 153-166 | 155

July-December of 2020

Enrique Cobos Urbina

ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978

plants by nuclear legislation relative to communication. We thereby intend to establish the true independence of Spanish nuclear plants when communicating with the public in different situations, that is, both in times of ordinary activity and at moments of crisis. Moreover, we seek to establish whether citizens are protected by the law concerning information, and under what circumstances.

Secondly, we have carried out extensive interviews with the press officers of Spanish nuclear plants to obtain first-hand knowledge of their vision of nuclear transparency and how they interpret the communicative function and regulatory limitations3.

The interviews took place face-to-face in their official centres: Madrid, Tarragona and Valencia. The experts interviewed were Monserrat Godall (Ascó-Vandellós II. Nuclear Association on November 3, 2016), Antonio Cornadó (Santa Mª de Garoña and the Spanish Nuclear Industry Forum. December 21, 2016), Juan Pedro Alcázar (Almaraz-Trillo Nuclear Plants. December 21, 2016), Jesús Cruz (Cofrentes. February 16, 2017), and both Javier Sala and Carlos Gómez (Cofrentes. February 17, 2017). Additionally, we interviewed Antonio Melo (Almaraz-Trillo Nuclear Plants. January 25, 2017) by e-mail.

The face-to-face interviews were no longer than two hours and were transcribed and recorded. A single questionnaire was used, split into six blocks by subject matter: communication in the nuclear industry; the plant’s communication department and its communication policy; the plant’s communication in normal situations; the communication of crisis in the nuclear industry; the plant’s communication manager; and the nuclear plant and public opinion.

Furthermore, we have examined the existing literature on Nuclear Communication. Though there is no established doctrine on how nuclear plants are supposed to handle their communication in situations of ordinary activity –beyond some recommendations by official organisms such as the International Atomic Energy Agency or the Nuclear Safety Council– some authors have related certain aspects of communication with situations of nuclear crisis. The main contributions have been those of Cobos & Recoder (2019a), De Oliveira (2015), Koerner (2014), Siegrist & Visschers (2013), Abe (2013), Lu (2012), Yamamura (2012) Ionescu (2012), Perko (2011) or Perko et al. (2012, 2013).

Finally, this study has reviewed all the Eurobarometer studies (special, flash and standard) between 1974 and 2019, to determine changes in the opinion of Europeans relative to nuclear activity and to identify the key subjects that influence their perception. Studies of public opinion in Europe regarding the atomic sector took place in October 2001, March 2010, June 2008, February 2007, January 2006, September 2005, December and April 2002. We have also reviewed the polls of the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) from 1979 to 2019 to see how regularly questions on nuclear energy were asked and what perception Spaniards have of electricity production from that source. Additionally, we have analysed studies of public opinion and nuclear energy in Spain that have been carried out annually by Ipsos Consulting and Innova Investigación de Mercados, for the Spanish Nuclear Industry Forum (2004-2018), to which we have had access.