This study explored how people in Taiwan perceived the risk of nuclear power during the Fukushima disaster in March 2011. An island-wide
telephone survey of 1,093 residents in Taiwan was conducted within one week after the disaster occurred. The results showed that people’s perception of the risk was primarily determined by their political trust. People who had
lower political trust were likely to be more concerned, whereas those who trusted the government more tended to support nuclear energy. Attention to television news was positively correlated with risk perception; those who
paid more attention to television news were likely to oppose nuclear energy. Additionally, people with more objective knowledge about nuclear energy tended to accept its risk and support its use. Male respondents exhibited a
higher tolerance of the risk than their female counterparts did. Consistent with past literature, Pan-Blue party supporters were more in favor of nuclear energy than Pan-Green party supporters.