Mobile phone masts: protesting the scientific evidence
Open accessAbstract
In the UK mobile phone ownership is high, however, there are conspicuous local protests against mobile phone masts. Protesters’ concerns often focus on the claimed ill health effects of mobile phone technology, which are frequently dismissed by industry and scientific experts. This paper provides an in-depth study into the attitudes and beliefs of one local protest. It considers to what extent health issues dominate the group’s concerns and how the campaigners have engaged with scientific knowledge to form their opinion. Surprisingly, mobile phone ownership was high within the protest group. This apparent paradox could be rationalized, however, by considering the location of the group and the ways in which the protesters used their mobile phone. Few believed that the precautionary approach had been fully applied to mobile phones. The campaign can be interpreted as one that questions the presumption that science and technology lead to increased economic performance and quality of life.
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The 'base station myth' is a frequent topic in public media and could even trigger severe protests, reflecting health concerns of users about radiation safety.
“The 'base station myth' is a frequent topic in public media and could even trigger severe protests [79], which reflects the health concerns of users about radiation safety.”
From What should 6G be? (2020) · cites this paper as [79]
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McLean, C., & Patterson, A. (2012) · Science and Public Policy · doi:10.1093/scipol/scs055 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
de Graaff, B., Bröer, C., & Wester, R. A. (2015) · Journal of Risk Research · doi:10.1080/13669877.2015.1071864 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“This also happened in other countries (see Drake 2006).”
Veronese, A. (2013) · Law State and Telecommunications Review · doi:10.26512/lstr.v5i1.21562 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Technological anxieties: telecom towers and public health controversies in urban India
Bonea, A. (2017) · Contemporary South Asia · doi:10.1080/09584935.2017.1321616 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“from mobile phones and base transceiver stations (BTS) have become less prominent in British and American media after the spout of interest registered in the mid-1990s, early 2000s subsided (Burgess 2004; Drake 2006).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialReconsiderando la gestión de riesgos en entornos sociotécnicos
Hom, A. G., Plaza, R.-J. M., Palmen, R. L., & Fàbregues, S. (2009) · Papers Revista de Sociologia · doi:10.5565/rev/papers/v93n0.700 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“…vacas locas—, tanto por su importancia cuantitativa y cualitativa como por su utilidad y conveniencia en el marco de nuestra sociedad, los usuarios de telefonía móvil habrían mostrado, en términos generales, una actitud pragmática respecto a las consecuencias de su uso (Burgess, 2002; Drake, 2006).”
BackgroundLocal E-Governance and the Risk of Territorial Fracture: The Case of Catalonia
Hom, A. G., & Plaza, R. J. M. (2009) · Journal of Information Technology & Politics · doi:10.1080/19331680902865525 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Mobile telephones require cell phone towers in order to function, and their subsequent deployment has led to the outbreak of protests among some sectors of the population at the local level (Drake, 2006; Espluga, 2005; Timotijevic & Barnett, 2006).”
BackgroundAalto, S., Haarala, C., & Brück, A. (2010) · Cited by 1 · see citing works
5G and 6G Networks: Should There Be a Health Concern?
Božanić, M., & Sinha, S. (2021) · Lecture notes in electrical engineering · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-69273-5_9 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Alvarez, E. N., Vu, Y. A., & London, W. M. (2013) · doi:10.1093/obo/9780199756797-0046 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Enciso, G. F., Palmeros, J. A. M., & López, G. A. T. (2020) · Revista del Centro de Investigación de la Universidad la Salle · doi:10.26457/recein.v14i54.2652
Chowdhury, N. (2022) · Bulletin of Science Technology & Society · doi:10.1177/02704676221111348
“Similarly, Drake has shown in the context of UK, that few protestors believed that precautionary approach had been taken by the State and therefore such movements are emblematic of citizen’s increasing suspicion that science and technological developments lead to a good life (Drake, 2006).”
BackgroundEscobar, J. D. V., & Rodríguez, D. M. S. (2023) · Cuadernos de Geografía Revista Colombiana de Geografía · doi:10.15446/rcdg.v32n2.107258
Boullier, H., & Demortain, D. (2025) · doi:10.1002/9781394388516.ch5
- Authors
- Drake, F.
- Affiliations
- University of Leeds (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Drake, Frances
- ORCID
- Drake, Frances
- Venue
- Public Understanding of Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2006-10
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 387-410
- ISSN
- 0963-6625 (ISSN-L)
- 1361-6609
- OpenAlex
- W1964652550
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 70
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 11.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hal.science
- Locations
- Public Understanding of Science (publishedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Social Science Open Access Repository (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences) (submittedVersion)
- Trinity's Access to Research Output (TARA) (Trinity College Dublin) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Risk Perception and Management
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biophysics › Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Effects
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy
- Keywords
- mobile phone masts, mobile phone ownership, public perception of science, precautionary principle
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