DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-082-5-0376

Social Acceptance of Nanotechnologies in old Industrial Regions

Jan Ženka ORCID...¹, Simona Bartošová Šťastná ORCID...¹, Jan Píša ORCID...¹, David Vogt ORCID...¹, Marie Cviková ORCID...¹

¹ University of Ostrava, Department of Human and Regional Development, Chitussiho 10, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic

The main aim of this paper is to identify factors that affect social acceptance of nanotechnologies at two distinct levels: individual and regional. Focusing on the context of old industrial regions (OIRs), key barriers of effective diffusion of nanotechnologies and path upgrading will be listed and discussed. At the individual level, the role of cognitive, affective and sociocultural factors together with moderating variables (sociodemographic, geographic and contextual) is outlined. At the regional level, adoption of nanotechnologies in OIRs is shaped by institutional path dependence, lock-in, and inherited industrial cultures that often favor continuity over radical change. While the application of nanotechnologies can foster modernization based on related diversification, efforts to foster unrelated diversification require targeted policies, strong institutional support and intensive public– private collaboration. Societal willingness to accept new directions of development paths in OIRs depends on the nature and thickness of industrial culture – the degree of community identification with various industrial attributes.

Keywords: Nanotechnologies, Technology Acceptance, Old Industrial Regions, Industrial Path Development

pages: 376-385, online: 2026