Executive summary: As part of WP6 “Social acceptance & perception of risk for mining activities” the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) will be conducting computer-based behavioural experiments designed to gauge how the format of information provided to the public affects their understanding and perception of mining-related activities (D6.2). The results will be used to generate recommendations for future communications (D6.3). The focus of this report concerns the evaluation of currently-used mining-related communication materials, and forms a part of the preparation process for these future deliverables.
The primary aim of this deliverable is to gain insights regarding written communications in order to inform the design of experiments, and the information content included. A number of other EU funded projects are undertaking a more thorough assessment of interactions with stakeholders and evaluating best practice on a more general level.
As the behavioural experiment will be conducted in Ireland, information was collected from companies operating in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland (UK). Although companies in Northern Ireland adhere to UK licensing and regulation, their interaction with local communities is largely comparable to that in the Republic. Their information materials are therefore useful to include.