Communicating on nuclear in Switzerland: a permanent referendum campaign

Utility and industry representatives took part in numerous discussions and gave many talks seeking a direct dialogue with the consumers and voters. The strategy was and still is to play the role of the consultant and energy specialist. This implies to avoid imposing an opinion and is particularly important, because the Swiss power sector is often not allowed to take part in political debates due to its structure. Many utilities are under the auspices of cantonal and community Authorities, and because people expect that the utilities have expert knowledge in this field. In order to reach a maximum number of people regular, forum-like advertisement in the print media addressed some of the main concerns. In order to show opening for dialogue platforms are needed, either the mass media or any other public information channel. In order to be heard by a public which often complains that the message is not there, a professional approach and a snappy presentation, hence a certain budget, is needed. This is also one of the lessons learned-not only from the utilities experiences but also from a critical analysis of the anti-nuclear group's campaign