TY - JOUR
T1 - Measuring societal attitudes and behaviours towards radon indoors
T2 - A case study of Slovenia
AU - Perko, Tanja
AU - Thijssen, Peter
AU - Hevey, David
AU - Turcanu, Catrinel
AU - Murić, Melisa
N1 - Score=10
Funding Information:
This project has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2019–2020 under grant agreement No 900009. The field study was funded by SRPA, Slovenia . The first author was granted a two-month scholarship at Faculty for Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia , for hosting Slovenian scientists from abroad at the University of Ljubljana , under reference number 11013-24/2022-5 .
Funding Information:
With the pressing urgency of protecting public health from exposures to radon, national authorities responsible for the implementation of Radon Action Plans (RAPs) increasingly rely on public opinion surveys to evaluate public awareness about radon and to gauge residents’ adherence to testing and mitigation when radon concentrations in dwellings exceed national reference levels (Perko et al., 2023). Unfortunately, such surveys are often constructed based on what is deemed “interesting to know” rather than being firmly rooted in behavioural theories and social science methodology principles (Tomkiv et al., 2021), (Bouder et al., 2021). Poorly executed surveys in terms of theory and methodology may lead to a misguided emphasis on different radon mitigation interventions and flawed messaging within radon communication strategies, consequently leading to a low compliance with testing and mitigation in private homes. This holds utmost significance, as public opinion surveys are prominent as a tool, particularly in the context of radon programs initiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (Davydov et al., 2021), (Djounova et al., 2023), (Tushe et al.RAP, 2022) World Health Organisation (Zeeb et al., 2007) and within European Union Member States (EU MS) (Perko et al., 2023). In EU MS, these surveys also support authorities to meet the mandates outlined in Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom (EC et al., 2014) which emphasizes the need to “enhance public awareness and educate local decision-makers, employers, and employees regarding the risks associated with radon, including its relationship with smoking”, as stipulated in Annex XVIII (10) (Martell et al., 2023).The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Tanja Perko reports financial support was provided by the Euratom research and training programme 2019–2020 under grant agreement No 900009. The field study was funded by SRPA, Slovenia. Tanja Perko reports a relationship with Euratom research and training programme 2019–2020 under grant agreement No 900009 that includes: funding grants. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.This project has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2019–2020 under grant agreement No 900009. The field study was funded by SRPA, Slovenia. The first author was granted a two-month scholarship at Faculty for Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, for hosting Slovenian scientists from abroad at the University of Ljubljana, under reference number 11013-24/2022-5.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2024/2
Y1 - 2024/2
N2 - Public opinion surveys play a crucial role in assessing public awareness, knowledge, and radon risk perception in the context of national Radon Action Plans. However, many of these surveys are constructed without a solid foundation in behavioural theories, health protection theory, or social science methodology. This lack of foundation can lead to misguided priorities in radon mitigation interventions and ineffective communication strategies, ultimately resulting in low compliance with testing and mitigation in private homes. By developing and testing scales that measure a wide range of theory-based socio-psychological concepts influencing protective behaviour of individuals facing radon risk, this study provides researchers, authorities, and practitioners with a useful and versatile survey tool to explore the complexity of human behaviour in the context of radon. The results of this survey, conducted in Slovenia with a representative sample of respondents from low, middle, and high radon risk areas (N = 2012), offer a foundation for assessing gaps and strategies to increase testing and remediation of homes. The findings suggest that communication interventions need to be more precisely tailored to specific population groups and should go beyond enhancing awareness, knowledge and radon risk perception. Effective strategies should evoke emotions, share personal stories, highlight successful mitigation cases, and use personal testimonies from individuals affected by lung cancer. Moreover, incorporating positive social norms can inspire more individuals to engage in testing and mitigation measures. Assessing theory-driven socio-psychological concepts through a survey allows researchers and policymakers to craft more effective strategies aimed at promoting radon testing and mitigation, thereby enhancing overall public health.
AB - Public opinion surveys play a crucial role in assessing public awareness, knowledge, and radon risk perception in the context of national Radon Action Plans. However, many of these surveys are constructed without a solid foundation in behavioural theories, health protection theory, or social science methodology. This lack of foundation can lead to misguided priorities in radon mitigation interventions and ineffective communication strategies, ultimately resulting in low compliance with testing and mitigation in private homes. By developing and testing scales that measure a wide range of theory-based socio-psychological concepts influencing protective behaviour of individuals facing radon risk, this study provides researchers, authorities, and practitioners with a useful and versatile survey tool to explore the complexity of human behaviour in the context of radon. The results of this survey, conducted in Slovenia with a representative sample of respondents from low, middle, and high radon risk areas (N = 2012), offer a foundation for assessing gaps and strategies to increase testing and remediation of homes. The findings suggest that communication interventions need to be more precisely tailored to specific population groups and should go beyond enhancing awareness, knowledge and radon risk perception. Effective strategies should evoke emotions, share personal stories, highlight successful mitigation cases, and use personal testimonies from individuals affected by lung cancer. Moreover, incorporating positive social norms can inspire more individuals to engage in testing and mitigation measures. Assessing theory-driven socio-psychological concepts through a survey allows researchers and policymakers to craft more effective strategies aimed at promoting radon testing and mitigation, thereby enhancing overall public health.
KW - Indoor air pollutant radon
KW - Survey
KW - Attitudes
KW - Awareness
KW - Behaviour
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85179886834&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107355
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107355
M3 - Article
SN - 0265-931X
VL - 272
JO - Journal of environmental radioactivity
JF - Journal of environmental radioactivity
M1 - 107355
ER -