Disasters & Accidents

Seven-in-ten Japanese say their country should reduce its reliance on nuclear energy. Skepticism about nuclear power is coupled with widespread dissatisfaction with the government’s performance: eight-in-ten say the government has done a poor job dealing with the Fukushima crisis and six-in-ten disapprove of how Tokyo has handled the overall recovery from the earthquake and tsunami.

While Japanese prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has been trying to persuade local communities it is safe to restart two nuclear reactors, 70% of Japanese say their country should reduce its reliance on nuclear energy.

Why mobile phone users texted millions of dollars in aid to Haiti earthquake relief and how they got their friends to do the same

Did the media overplay Hurricane Irene? What should the media’s role be? Bloggers weighed in strongly last week. And thanks to news about pop star Beyonce, the MTV Video Music Awards set a record on Twitter and were the subject of the most popular video on YouTube.

In the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese public is resilient. Indeed, a majority believe that as a result of the disaster, Japan will become a stronger nation. And while personal pessimism about the future has crept up slightly, on balance the public’s overall sense of personal well being appears little changed by the calamitous events of 2011.

A new survey finds that Americans under age 40 are as likely to donate to Japan disaster relief through electronic means as traditional means like the phone or postal mail

For many people in Japan and around the world, Twitter was a vital communication tool in the hours following the devastating March 11 earthquake, the seventh most powerful in recorded history. And bloggers got an early jump on the presidential campaign.

Senior research specialist Aaron Smith presents Pew Internet findings technology and communication trends of relevance to emergency first responders. (Updated with slides)

Most Americans say that the nation is no better prepared for hurricanes and other natural disasters than it was in 2005. However, the public does see progress in rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf region.

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico proved to be a complex, technical and long-running saga that taxed the media’s resources and attention span. A new PEJ study highlights eight key points in the oil spill coverage. And a new quiz tests how much you know about media coverage of the disaster.