Citizen participation

• In the ‘Citizen monitoring network “Train Traffic in America”’ project (2024), residents of America (Northern Limburg), together with RIVM, created a research plan to identify noise and noise nuisance in their living environment. RIVM helped the residents with the measurements and carried out supplementary research to identify the nuisance.
• Research into circular consumption of clothing in the context of sustainability (2023).
• Prior to a study into the living environment and health in the area near Tata Steel, local residents actively contributed their ideas regarding the research questions and the research design (2019–2023). During the various RIVM studies, an advisory panel consisting of residents and independent experts actively provided input for the studies and reflected on the results. For general information, go to Tata Steel | RIVM.
• Study into public nuisance from aircraft noise at Schiphol(external link) (ongoing).
• Citizen participation in a study into toxic substances in the (local) environment (TOXDOWN project in the context of the 2023–2026 RIVM Strategic Programme).

Risk and safety perception

• RIVM has developed a scientific approach to gauge how people perceive safety in the vicinity of activities involving hazardous substances. Various perception studies have been carried out on site (2018–2023). The results provide government authorities and other stakeholders with a starting point for developing policy.
• The public perception of radiation risks: implications for Risk Communication (2018).
• Risk perception of technologies that play or will play a role in the energy transition, for example: identifying how citizens perceive the health and safety risks of technologies in the energy transition, and the factors that influence risk perception (in development).
• Effective behavioural measures for safety at work (PREFER), ongoing research in the context of the RIVM Strategic Programme (2019–2022).

Risk communication

• Research into the effect of leaflets with information on exposure to particulate matter during work (2022).
• Development of public information on drinking water risks (2021).
• Risk communication on radiation accidents and the distribution of iodine tablets (2016).
• Communication on possible health effects of electromagnetic fields.
• Public information on the health effects of frequent use of disinfectant hand gel (2021).
• Risk communication relating to various crises: use of rubber granulate on synthetic turf pitches, meningococcal serogroup W disease and COVID-19 (2021).

Behaviour

• Self-reliant behaviour of residents living near chemical plants; how do you ensure that local residents take themselves and their loved ones to a safe location when an alarm is triggered by an incident at a chemical factory that may have environmental consequences?
• Circular behaviour among consumers; How can you convince consumers to, for example, purchase fewer new items and opt for a second-hand alternative? See Involving citizens in circular clothing consumption | RIVM (2023).
• Consumer behaviour in the energy transition; As a government, how can you convince consumers to use less gas, for example by turning down the thermostat, insulating their home or opting for solar panels?
• Consumer safety; what are the underlying causes of consumer accidents at home involving machines or portable climbing equipment? See What is going wrong? An exploratory study of causes of consumer accidents involving machines and portable climbing equipment (2023).