This paper deals with the Swedish energy debate of the summer of 1989 from a risk-perception approach. What are the attitudes (both environmental and economic) of the citizens in two towns in Sweden to the various energy sources which can be used to replace the electricity lost from a nuclear phase-out? The following three important conclusions are reached: 1.(i) a majority of the respondents in both towns oppose an early phase-out of nuclear power if the electricity lost is replaced by fossil fuels.2.(ii) The people interviewed in the two areas had differences of opinion concerning various energy sources.3.(iii) Citizens' perceptions of risks played a major role in determining their attitudes towards various energy sources.
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