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Despite potential benefits emerging energy technologies usually promise, the public often meets them with skepticism, resistance, or even outright rejection. In this study, we investigated the potential role communication plays in the early stages of opinion formation. In particular, we examined the relationships among message framing, information processing, communication motivation, and information seeking. Building on work examining uncertainty reduction, fairness, risk communication, and the theory of planned behaviors, we conducted an experiment in which a sample of U.S. adults (N = 1042) were led to believe that enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) would be developed in their local community. Participants received initial information varying in degrees of uncertainty and procedural fairness about the EGS development. Subsequently, we offered them an opportunity to read additional articles about EGS, which was operationalized as actual information seeking behaviors. We found that predictors, such as affect, norm, current knowledge, and information need, explained information engagement intentions, which further predicted actual information seeking behaviors. In addition, systematic processing of the initial EGS information, perceived uncertainty, and perceived fairness had direct relations with actual information seeking. The discussion provides theoretical and practical implications.

Pathways to recognizing shared interests in addressing environmental problems are sometimes blocked by a lack of understanding or even misperceptions among stakeholder groups, which can impede productive communication. Drawing on a currently evolving case study, this study examines the perceptions of stakeholders involved with oyster restoration in waters of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary considered unsuitable for commercial harvesting (i.e., closed waters) in New York and New Jersey. Survey research conducted with commercial shellfish farmers and oyster restoration volunteers shows that support for oyster restoration is less related to stakeholder group identification and more to the perceived risks to public health and the economy, and the perceived ecological benefits. The conclusions suggest how these results might be used to demonstrate where agreement exists among stakeholder groups, which could improve discussion about oyster restoration and advance shared interests.

Genetic modification (GM) of crops and climate change are arguably two of today's most challenging science communication issues. Increasingly, these two issues are connected in messages proposing GM as a viable option for ensuring global food security threatened by climate change. This study examines the effects of messages promoting the benefits of GM in the context of climate change. Further, it examines whether explicit reference to “climate change,” or “global warming” in a GM message results in different effects than each other, or an implicit climate reference. An online sample of U.S. participants (N = 1050) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: “climate change” cue, “global warming” cue, implicit cue, or control (no message). Generally speaking, framing GM crops as a way to help ensure global food security proved to be an effective messaging strategy in increasing positive attitudes toward GM. In addition, the implicit cue condition led to liberals having more positive attitudes and behavioral intentions toward GM than the “climate change” cue condition, an effect mediated by message evaluations.

Growing awareness of the potential for some energy-related activities to induce earthquakes has created a need to understand how the public evaluates the risks of induced earthquakes versus the benefits of energy development. To address this need, this study presents a web survey that used a between-subjects factorial experimental design to explore the views of 325 U.S. adults, who were asked about their experiences with earthquakes; risk perceptions related to different causes of earthquakes (e.g., natural versus induced); and acceptability of earthquakes depending on the benefits, beneficiaries, and decision making process. The results found that participants had more negative feelings toward induced versus naturally occurring earthquakes. Although they judged no earthquake as “acceptable,” participants rated induced earthquakes significantly less acceptable than naturally occurring ones. Attributing the benefits to the provision of renewable energy or climate change mitigation did not increase induced earthquake acceptability, and no particular beneficiary made earthquakes more acceptable, although private companies as beneficiaries made earthquakes less acceptable. Finally, induced earthquake acceptability was significantly higher when people believed that people like them had a voice in the decision to implement the technology that caused the earthquake, underscoring the importance of public engagement in the development of energy technologies.

This study investigates how the physical proximity of university-sponsored climate mitigation projects may moderate the relationship between affect and project support and impact public support for the respective projects. Using a mail survey (N = 667) of residents near a major university in New York State, we find that positive and negative affective responses to proposed climate mitigation projects have a stronger association with project support when the project will be implemented in close, as opposed to distant, physical proximity. In contrast, we do not find that the physical distance of project implementation moderates the relationship between affective responses to climate change in general and project support. In addition, we find no evidence of a NIMBY effect in public support/opposition to the particular projects, but do find that public support varies depending on the type of project that is being proposed.

Oceans are suffering from the dual climatic pressures of warming temperatures and acidification, increasing the presence of disease risks that affect marine organisms and public health. Through a randomized field-based experiment, this study examines the effects of communicating about risks to marine organisms and public health on people’s support for policies aimed at mitigating those risks as a function of different message frames. To maximize the salience of these issues, participants were recruited from ferry passengers ( N =543) in the San Juan Islands of Washington State in the summer of 2013 and randomized to read one of four fictitious news articles detailing the increased incidence of deadly bacteria ( Vibrio ) in oysters in the Pacific Northwest. Depending on condition, the article attributed the causes to global warming or climate change and the consequences primarily to oyster health or public health—frames that recent research suggests can influence how the public responds to environmental messages. Results showed high levels of support for marine policy and high concern about the prevalence of marine disease risks across the sample (i.e., irrespective of framing condition). Analysis of individual differences suggested that participants with lower biocentric (i.e., environmental) values were more supportive of marine policy when exposed to the article highlighting consequences to oyster health from global warming, an effect that was fully mediated (or explained) by level of self-reported concern. The results demonstrate the importance of communication about marine disease in showing how subtle changes in message frames can elicit differential support for marine policy.

Research on employees’ perspectives and decision making about energy conservation within organizational contexts is limited, constraining appropriate and effective policy and planning. In addition, work considering the socio-psychological influences of such organizational contexts on individual energy decisions is also limited. To help fill these gaps, this study used the Theory of Planned Behavior to develop a survey on attitudes, subjective norms and behavioral intentions toward energy conservation behavior among faculty, staff and graduate students working at a large U.S. university ( n = 2919). Results showed the influence of subjective norms (injunctive and descriptive), attitudes, and perceived behavioral control on behavioral intentions to engage in energy conservation behaviors at work. Sense of community also positively predicted behavioral intentions and self-reported behavior. Theoretically, this calls for more work on how sense of community influences energy behaviors, while practically it suggests that energy conservation interventions should consider sense of community as a potential factor in program uptake.

This study examines support for the genetic modification (GM) of crops in the context of preventing “late blight,” a devastating potato and tomato disease that caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1850s and results in substantial crop loss today. We surveyed U.S. adults who do the primary grocery shopping in their household (n = 859). Half of the respondents were randomly assigned to read a vignette describing late blight before responding to questions about GM, whereas the other half read a vignette about generic crop disease before responding to questions. We also examine how the perceived fairness of decision makers relates to GM support and the perceived legitimacy of GM decision making. We found that disease specificity mattered less to support and legitimacy than the perceived fairness of decision makers. The perceived risks of GM to human and environmental health negatively related to GM support and legitimacy, whereas the perceived benefits (e.g. reduced threats to crops and a more secure food supply) positively related to support and legitimacy. Objective knowledge about GM had a small, negative relationship with legitimacy whereas self-assessed familiarity with GM had a positive relationship. Overall, the results offer additional confirmation of past findings from more localized settings that perceived fairness of decision makers matters to support for GM and underscore the importance of considering how risk managers’ behaviors and actions are perceived alongside individuals’ perceptions about the risks and benefits.

Across the United States, universities are grappling with challenges associated with adopting approaches to more sustainable energy use. One approach has been to develop energy-related projects in their local, host communities. Because host communities can play a major role in the successful planning and implementation of these projects, understanding the factors relating to their support is important. Building on research that suggests that procedural fairness is one such key factor, this study examines community members’ support of six approaches a local university could implement to work towards a goal of carbon neutrality. The results of a mail survey ( N =677) found that perceived fairness of campus decision makers was significantly related to community support for the proposed approaches; however, beliefs about the efficacy of the different approaches to address challenges associated with climate change had the strongest relationship with support. The results also suggest that residents prefer changes in the energy infrastructure, such as the development of wind power, over the purchase of carbon offsets. We discuss the results in terms of actions that universities may take to foster community engagement in decision-making for university-sponsored sustainable energy projects.