Short and long-term dominance of negative information in shaping public energy perceptions: The case of shallow geothermal systems

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Positive perception of renewable energy systems, including shallow geothermal systems, is essential for a sustainable energy transition. However, it is underexplored how citizens’ feelings towards and evaluations of this technology change over time and consolidate into a stable, positive perception. In an online longitudinal experiment in Western Switzerland (Time 1: N = 823, Time 2: N = 342, Time 3: N = 221), we investigated i) how informing citizens about twenty positive or negative aspects of shallow geothermal systems change their affect towards and evaluations of the technology, ii) if such changes are stable over time, and iii) how individual differences influence these processes. Results of Time 1 (pre-information) indicate affect is positively associated with shallow geothermal systems’ evaluations. At Time 2 (post-information, three weeks later), citizens significantly updated their affect and evaluations with the information provision. The effect was double for negative over positive information, and enhanced by citizens’ biospheric values. At Time 3 (three months post-information) changes were partially retained only in the negative information condition. In informational campaigns, we thus recommend focusing on reducing the effects of negative messages while tailoring positive messages around citizens’ values, to minimize the temporal decay and maximize the positivity of geothermal systems’ image in the public's eye.

Original languageEnglish
Article number113070
JournalEnergy Policy
Volume167
Number of pages12
ISSN0301-4215
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.08.2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Deconstructing and reconstructing diversity in client-provider-relationships of social work
  2. A New Approach for Optimal Solving Cyclic and Non-Cyclic Bus Drvier Rostering Problems
  3. Vielfalt des Alterns - Differenz oder Integration?
  4. An introduction to sliding mode control for interdisciplinary education
  5. The role of place in shaping responsibility logics
  6. On the Equivalence of Transmission Problems in Nonoverlapping Domain Decomposition Methods for Quasilinear PDEs
  7. Executive function and Language Learning
  8. Evaluating A Teaching-Learning Sequence (TLS) About Acid-Base Reactions In Upper Secondary School
  9. Developing robust field survey protocols in landscape ecology
  10. Managing Global Production Networks
  11. Finding Datasets in Publications: The University of Paderborn Approach
  12. Operational integration of EMIS and ERP systems
  13. A model of a servo piezo mechanical hydraulic actuator and its regulation using repetitive control
  14. Factored MDPs for detecting topics of user sessions
  15. How secondary-school students deal with issues of sustainable development in class*
  16. Programmierung einer DELTA-Roboterzelle nach PackML Standard
  17. ENVISIONING PROTECTED AREAS THROUGH PARTICIPATORY SCENARIO PLANNING: NAVIGATING COVERAGE AND EFFECTIVENESS CHALLENGES AHEAD
  18. Extension of SEIR compartmental models for constructive Lyapunov control of COVID-19 and analysis in terms of practical stability
  19. Combining Model Predictive and Adaptive Control for an Atomic Force Microscope Piezo-Scanner-Cantilever System
  20. A Control of an Electromagnetic Actuator Using Model Predictive Control
  21. Investigating quality raters' performance using interface evaluation methods
  22. Effects of plyometric training on postural control in static and dynamic testing situations
  23. Distributable Modular Software Framework for Manufacturing Systems
  24. Emancipative Values and Non-violent Protest
  25. Public Value: rethinking value creation
  26. Enacting migration through data practices
  27. Learning from Erroneous Examples
  28. Within-individual leaf trait variation increases with phenotypic integration in a subtropical tree diversity experiment
  29. Principals between exploitation and exploration
  30. Leaf trait variation within individuals mediates the relationship between tree species richness and productivity
  31. Embarrassment as a public vs. private emotion and symbolic coping behaviour