March 2, 2006
Boise State Survey Shows Statewide Support for INL
Boise State University (BSU) and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) released results of a statewide survey at a news conference at The Grove Hotel in Boise. Conducted last fall, the survey measured Idaho citizens’ awareness and perceptions of the INL’s presence, missions, research programs, and the sources of information citizens use to find out about the INL.
A majority of adults in Idaho, 71 percent, have a generally favorable impression of the INL. This favorable perception is broadly held across the state; more than two-thirds of Idaho citizens say they are aware of the INL, which is located in the Idaho Falls area.
John Lindsay, INL’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs said, “The professionals at INL are very pleased to learn that a large majority of Idahoans are aware of their research and key activities at the national laboratory. We will use the results of this survey to better inform Idaho’s citizens of INL activities, programs and results.”
Equal numbers of respondents said they either were or were not informed about the INL, 38 percent respectively; however, almost half of the respondents said they were satisfied with the level of information they receive from the INL. Generally, citizens in the northern part of the state were less aware and felt less informed than those in close geographic proximity to the INL site.
Idahoans gave high marks to the INL as a good member of the community (80 percent), and for minimizing risk to public health and safety (81 percent). Seventy-seven percent of respondents perceive INL as a good place to work, and the same number agreed that INL tries to minimize environmental impacts. When asked if the INL provides an honest assessment of risks, 66 percent agreed and 18 percent disagreed.
A majority of Idahoans also support the nuclear research mission of the INL (60 percent), the nuclear research reactor (61 percent), and the plutonium 238 project (57 percent).
Generally, Idaho citizens want to hear more in the local media about the INL programs and operations, and look to a variety of media types for information.
Boise State’s Social Science Research Center was chosen by the INL to implement this survey during the fall 2005. The survey was a random telephone sample of 502 adults across six regions of Idaho. The margin of error is +/- 4 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.
To download the report in PDF format, click here.
Contacts:Carole Nemnich, Social Science Research Center, (208) 426-1835 carolenemnich@boisestate.edu
Media Contacts: Kathleen Craven, University Communications, (208) 426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu, Keith Arterburn, INL Communications, 208-526-4845, keith.arterburn@inl.gov.
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