The aim of the paper is to provide updated information on local opinion regarding the siting of a spent nuclear fuel repository in Finland. The main question is how the residents of the municipality perceive the threats and benefits of the repository. In accordance with the Decision in Principle by the Council of State passed in 2000, the Olkiluoto area in Municipality of Eurajoki was chosen as the location for the repository to accommodate spent nuclear fuel produced in Finland. Updated information on local opinions is needed as the siting process is approaching the next phase, the application for a construction license by 2012. The nuclear waste management company Posiva, owned by the utilities Teollisuuden Voima and Fortum Power and Heat, has also applied for a new Decision in Principle (DiP) for expansion of the repository. The data provided in this paper is based on a survey carried out in June 2008. The respondents were selected from the residents of the municipality of Eurajoki and the neighbouring municipalities using stratified random sampling (N = 3000). The response rate of the survey was 20% (N = 606). The paper is part of a joint research project between the University of Jyva¨skyla¨ and the University of Tampere. The research project “Follow-up research regarding socio-economic effects and communication of final disposal facility of spent nuclear fuel in Eurajoki and its neighbouring municipalities” is funded by the Finnish Research Programme on Nuclear Waste Management (KYT2010).

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