Professional Perspectives on Community and Public Engagement with Fusion Energy

Jared Owens; Shanna R. Daly; Porter Malcolm; Aditi Verma

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arXiv · 2610.02546

Professional Perspectives on Community and Public Engagement with Fusion Energy

Jared Owens·Shanna R. Daly·Porter Malcolm·Aditi Verma

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Abstract

Fusion energy technology is rapidly approaching demonstrator deployment, but relatively little consideration has been given to publics' perceptions of or engagement with the technology. This research explores the perspectives of diverse professionals involved with the US fusion energy industry as to their knowledge on, valuation of, and preparedness for community and public (C&P) engagement on fusion energy. Participants perceived multifaceted value in C&P engagement from both industry and personal perspectives including an expressed desire for self-involvement in engagement activities, though ideally with increased support from home organizations and from engagement experts. Participants also revealed framings of fusion C&P engagement that align with deficit and contextual models of science communication thinking. These findings suggest an opportunity for collaboration between fusion professionals and engagement experts beyond one-way science communication to more participatory engagements with implications for the future of fusion energy.

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Jared Owens, Shanna R. Daly, Porter Malcolm, Aditi Verma. 2026-10-01. Professional Perspectives on Community and Public Engagement with Fusion Energy. https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.02546

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