Research repository site selection: Information and participation for everyone

Source: BASE

What do people in Germany know about the repository site selection procedure? What questions, ideas and wishes do they have? What fears or risks are associated with the procedure? And do people in Germany even want to participate in the process of finding a repository site?

As the body responsible for involving the public in the site selection procedure, BASE needs to obtain answers to these and other questions. These answers will help to identify potential conflicts at an early stage, and to create conditions for involving citizens as "co-designers of the procedure" (Section 5 para. 1 StandAG) in the site selection process.

For this reason, a BASE research project entitled "Repository Site Search in Germany: Knowledge, Attitudes and Needs - Repeated Representative Survey (EWident)" investigated the aforementioned questions. As part of the research project, aproxima Gesellschaft für Markt- und Sozialforschung Weimar mbH surveyed randomly selected people on behalf of BASE twice between 2020 and 2022. The findings of the survey are now available. In addition, the survey research data will be published by BASE, and made available for further research projects for the first time.

Positive development: knowledge on the repository site search has increased

The findings of the surveys show: The level of knowledge about the repository site search among the German population has increased slightly. At the time of the second survey, more participants knew about the status of the site search than in the first survey (79 to 63 percent). The subjective level of information and the perceived density of media coverage have also increased.

Generally speaking, the population supports the search for a repository site in Germany. 59 percent are unreservedly in favour of searching for a final repository site. Trust in the responsible institutions also remains high. The personal desire to participate remains largely constant at around 28 percent. However, many of those surveyed would only consider active participation if their own region were to become a potential site. Respondents value a steady and transparent flow of information to ensure both the process and the outcome higher than opportunities to get involved.

The second EWident survey also gives an initial idea of the effects that the announcement of possible sites might have: For this purpose, residents of four exemplary "focus regions", where there had already been a rather intense discussion of the site selection procedure, were interviewed separately.
The result: The majority of respondents in those regions is in favour of the site selection procedure in Germany, too. The respondents are also somewhat better informed than the average. However, the willingness to actively participate in the site selection procedure is below average.

Many other findings were obtained in addition to these. They are all summarised in
the EWident final report (in German).

BASE publishes complete set of research data

Interested scientists can now access the entire EWident data set. With the publication of the complete research data, other scientists can both review the findings and continue to work with and draw their conclusions from them. If you have any questions or feedback on the survey, please contact the head of department, Friederike Kelle, at friederike.kelle@base.bund.de.