Engaging youth in the management of radioactive waste: perceptions, intentions and expectations

Citizen participation in the governance of radioactive waste is crucial, not only in the siting and design of repositories, but during their construction and operation and even after their closure. However, this need for citizen involvement poses unique challenges due to the long time scales involved in the various phases of radioactive waste management (RWM). As participation needs to span over several generations, the involvement of young people in decision making opens up participation processes to innovation, ensuring at the same time their durability and representativeness. However, young people are currently underrepresented in various national radioactive waste management initiatives, which brings into question the durability and inclusiveness of participation processes. This paper uses a multi-method approach entailing focus groups and surveys to examine young people’s perceptions of radioactive waste, their potential involvement in its management, and how such involvement can be facilitated. A representative survey (N = 1060) of the Belgian population shows that while risk perceptions and knowledge about radioactive waste are largely similar across age groups, differences exist with regard to the modalities of radioactive waste management (e.g. waste retrievability). We also found that young people (age 18–25) are less inclined to seek active participation in decision-making processes. Focus group discussions further highlight that aligning participatory initiatives with youths’ interests (e.g. climate change) and integrating them into existing structures (e.g. school parliaments) could enhance youngsters’ awareness and involvement in radioactive waste management.