For decades energy policy was an area for experts only. Initially, the introduction of nuclear power as a source for generating electric power did not seem likely to change this. A number of nuclear accidents and many uncertainties associated with this technology resulted in demands by the public to be more involved in energy policy matters. For the first time, a tradition­ ally closed industry was confronted with the necessity to be more open and accept the entrance of ‘the public’ into the onceexclusive domain of policy-making. The recognition of the fact that the future of nuclear energy will not only depend on tech­ nical and economic factors, but also on public acceptability of this technology, led to an increasing demand for psychological studies on the issue of public reactions to nuclear energy.