Stakeholder Preference Mapping—seeking a way forward for the processing of spent nuclear fuel

Continuing concern in many countries about the processing of spent nuclear fuel has sparked new interest in how best to make evidence-based decisions about divisive issues. Stakeholder Preference Mapping (SPM), described here, is a way of applying multi-attribute decision analysis to structured dialogue and engagement with stakeholders. It uses the recorded views of stakeholders, supplemented where necessary by direct stakeholder contact, to understand and evidence stakeholder perspectives and to anticipate arguments for and against particular outcomes. It is illustrated in this paper through an exercise to examine competing options for the processing of spent nuclear fuel. The potential merits of SPM in terms of informing, focusing and accelerating stakeholder interactions and its relationship to other similar approaches are described and discussed.