Megan Connolly

University Of York

I have a strong interest in public attitudinal research, in particular public attitudes towards sustainable energy technologies. I studied my undergraduate degree at the University of York, and I investigated public attitudes towards the proposed River Mersey tidal power scheme for my dissertation. For my master’s dissertation I continued my public attitudinal research through exploring factors affecting the uptake of household renewable energy systems in North West England. This has led me into studying my PhD entitled ‘Public attitudes to fusion energy: A qualitative study in the UK’, exploring the perceived benefits and risks of living with fusion and whether these opinions vary in relation to a number of factors. 

I believe this area of research is vital in understanding what sorts of knowledges and perspectives are legitimised in decision-making, rather than foster acceptance or simply “inform” publics.  This work aims to engage with publics and understand different perspectives, exploring how fusion is framed by publics including the heuristics they use.