GOLIAT study investigates people’s knowledge and beliefs about the impacts of 5G

A new study from Project GOLIAT has shed light on what non-experts, experts and electrosensitive individuals think about the risks and benefits of 5G. A team lead by researchers from the University of Vienna interviewed a total of 35 individuals: 10 experts, 22 non-experts and three people who self-identify as electrosensitive. The summary of the study has been published in the Journal of Risk Research.

Non-experts often lacked technical knowledge about 5G and were unfamiliar with current safety standards. While most non-experts reported rarely thinking about the potential health effects of 5G, some believed it could pose a risk to their health. “They made statements such as ‘we use mobile phones all the time, and they’re so close to the brain. So that has got to be transferred somewhere’,” explains Nina Vaupotič, researcher at the University of Vienna and first author of the study.

Many non-experts also expressed that they had little agency in the rollout of 5G, since this is a technology that comes with smartphones by default and they felt they had no choice about it. 

Self-identified electrosensitive individuals, in contrast to other non-experts, were better informed about technical aspects such as frequencies and infrastructure. They also acknowledged potential societal benefits, such as the use in telemedicine. However, they also expressed concern around the integrity of scientific results, with statements such as: “We don’t have the full background of things. I would really like an independent panel to be able to look at these effects.”

Lastly, experts had a good understanding of the technical aspects of 5G and provided useful information about potential exposure prevention measures related to distance, duration and use. While they were aware of many common misconceptions the public may have, experts expected lay people to be primarily concerned about base stations not their mobile phones, but this was not the case in the interviews with non-experts, as many of the participants focused even more on mobile phones than on base stations or antennas.

“Our findings underscore the importance of building trust, addressing knowledge gaps, and considering the broader context of public concerns when communicating about the impacts of 5G”, says Mathew P. White, researcher at the University of Vienna and last author of the study.

Methodology

The study followed a mental models approach to risk communication (MMARC). A series of semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in four European countries (Poland, Spain, Slovenia and the UK) with the three different groups taking part in the study (non-experts, experts and self-identified electrosensitive individuals). The answers of those interviews were used to create a joint mental model integrating and comparing the perspectives of the different groups 

Reference

Nina Vaupotič, James Grellier, Leanne Martin, Carola Domènech Panicello, Eliza Goszczyńska, Noriko Kojimahara, Kinga Polańska, Oscar Bauer, Hiroko Mori, Sachiko Yamaguchi-Sekino, Mònica Guxens & Mathew P. White (06 Jun 2025): 5G technology, health and society: misconceptions, blind spots and insights from experts, non-experts, and self-identified electrosensitive individuals, Journal of Risk Research, DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2025.2512074