Something old and something new: comparing views about nanotechnology and nuclear energy

Much discussion surrounds the question of whether people tend to perceive new and emerging technologies in ways similar to how they perceive older, more familiar technologies. The study argues that the direct association between familiarity and support is just one way of thinking about how familiarity may affect views about emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology and nuclear energy. The study uses a probability-based survey of Americans where half received questions about nanotechnology and half received nearly identical questions about nuclear energy. Overall, it shows that the 'standard' predictors of technology support - risk/benefit perceptions, familiarity, and views about decision-makers - are similar for both nanotechnology and nuclear energy but that lower familiarity may also result in less ability for these variables to statistically explain support for nanotechnology. The data provide only partial evidence that citizens meaningfully differentiate between the two very different technologies, and the patterns of results lend support to the theory that generalized views about science and science decision-makers - in addition to issue-specific concerns - are central to understanding opinion dynamics involving emerging technologies like nanotechnology.