8.6. Evaluation of risk communication measures

Project management: IZT – Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment
Start: 1 August 2018
End: 31 May 2019

Background

The perception of risks and the various communication channels are subject to constant change. It is therefore necessary to evaluate risk communication measures from time to time. The evaluation supports the further development processes and promotes communicative skills.

Objective

The current project evaluates the risk communication services of the BfS for the power grid expansion. All relevant information supplies of the BfS (including texts such as brochures and websites as well as appearances by speakers with the corresponding messages) will be reviewed. This information will be examined in terms of both content and form. The contractor prepares recommendations for improvements of the information supply examined.

The following questions were submitted:

• How must information be presented so that it is accessible and accepted by residents?
• Is the information offered presented in an appropriate and understandable form in the right place?

Answering these questions helps to provide information that enables citizens to form their own informed opinions.

Implementation

In a first step, a literature and document review together with an analysis on the topic of official risk communication was carried out for the past five years. Based on this, the selected texts, brochures, and videos as well as some appearances by BfS employees were analysed in detail.

In participant observations, the researcher (IZT) took part in interactions between the BfS and citizens in order to directly assess the perception and effect of information supply on both sides. In addition, a representative survey was carried out among the German-speaking population on the topics of risk perception, concern regarding the power grid expansion, awareness of the BfS, and evaluation of some of the information provided by the BfS. In addition, both experts and students of RWTH Aachen University were interviewed about the informational material of the BfS. Another participatory observation took place in the context of several appearances by BfS employees at events on the power grid expansion.

Results

From the sum of the tests, recommendations for action were developed for the texts and messages of risk communication of the BfS in the power grid expansion:

• The user guidance on the websites is not consistent, and the user is often unable to return to the main page. This should be improved. At the beginning, there should be a clear outline and structure to each article. This should be supported with sources. The sources should be clearly distinguished from further/supplementary sources.
• The use of synonyms should be avoided.
• Separate articles for citizens and experts should be created.
• The video could be supplemented by illustrating the distance and the associated decreasing field exposure.
• Graphics and texts should be linked better (i.e. no pictures and/or graphics should be placed into a text if no reference is made to them).
• Reference should be made to the current discussion.
• Attention should be paid to the topicality of the articles posted.

The final report of the project is available in DORIS, the online repository of the BfS.