BfS - Mobile Telephone Systems
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Project commissioned by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS) on the topic "Survey of the knowledge and effect of information activities in the field of mobile telephone systems and design of further approaches to improve information of different sections of the population"
Brief description
Background of the problem and the project’s objectives
Mobile telephone systems have spread more and more in the last few years in the whole Federal
Republic of Germany as well as in nearly all classes of society. Closely connected to that is
the public debate over possible risks of low electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones or
from transmitting facilities. Several institutions and organisations in the fields of economy,
science, civil society and politics try directly or indirectly (media) to inform about the
risks by information and communication activities. To which extent they reach the addressees
(citizens) with the chosen means is a question that has to be settled empirically. In order to
improve its information and communication activities, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection
(Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS) commissioned the project "Survey of the knowledge and effect
of information activities in the field of mobile telephone systems and design of further approaches
to improve information of different sections of the population" (in short: BfS – Mobile
Telephone Systems)
Tasks
In the one-year-project DIALOGIK will first summarize
the state of the art of research regarding the effects of information and communication activities
in the field of mobile telephone systems (study of literature, meta-analysis, secondary analysis).
On this basis, specific information and communication activities will be selected and examined
regarding their effects by two empirical surveys. In the quantitative-representative postal survey
of German citizens (mobile telephone systems survey 2005) attitudes and behaviour, knowledge about
the topic, risk perception and extent of benefits as well as perception and assessment of the
different measures will be investigated. The qualitative study includes five focus groups with
producers (e.g. scientists), distributors (e.g. journalists) and consumers (e.g. citizens) of
information. It serves to identify chains of argumentation and social and communicative mechanisms
of information processing and of the evaluation of risks of mobile telephone systems. The insights
gained by the quantitative survey will thereby be deepened and enriched. Finally, the project team
will compile a manual of risk communication in the field of mobile telephone systems which will
refer to the insights of the previous project phases.
Duration
01.10.2004 - 30.09.2005
Project Leaders
Prof. Ortwin Renn; Uwe Pfenning, Ph.D.
Researchers
Michael Ruddat, MA; Alexander Sautter, MA
up