The relationship between metacognitive beliefs and competitive anxiety among elite and amateur soccer players.

With the continuous growth in global energy demand and the urgent drive for energy structure transformation, nuclear energy, as a highly efficient and low-carbon energy source, has assumed an increasingly prominent strategic importance in the global energy system (, ). Currently, over 400 nuclear power reactors are in operation across 32 countries, with nuclear power generating about 10% of the global total electricity (). This has provided crucial support for alleviating the environmental pressures and preventing premature deaths attributable to fossil fuel combustion (). Nevertheless, the advancement of nuclear energy has long been overshadowed by public anxieties regarding the risks of nuclear radiation (NR). Notably, catastrophic nuclear safety incidents in history, including the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster of 1986 and the Fukushima Nuclear Accident of 2011, have not only inflicted substantial human casualties, property damage, and ecological degradation, but also precipitated a worldwide confidence crisis in the safety of nuclear technologies, the ramifications of which endure to the present day (, ). As an invisible source of risk, NR is characterized by its technicality and complexity, which often lead to biases in the perception of it. Existing studies have indicated that the general public has a relatively low level of knowledge about NR, but they tend to perceive a high risk of radiation (, ). Such biases not only impede the sound development of the nuclear energy industry but also may induce irrational decision-making among the public during nuclear emergency evacuation and protection (NEEP), thereby exacerbating the harm caused by nuclear accidents (, ). It is therefore essential for the public to develop a correct understanding of radiation-related knowledge, which enables them to view it scientifically and avoid blind panic.