Trust and turbines: how conspiratorial thinking and wind farm opposition fuel each other
Trust and turbines: how conspiratorial thinking and wind farm opposition fuel each other
Trust and turbines: how conspiratorial thinking and wind farm opposition fuel each other
General belief in secret plots predicts whether someone will oppose local wind farms months later. At the same time, opposing specific turbine projects can deepen a person’s broad suspicions, creating...
A generalized tendency to believe in secret plots can predict whether someone will oppose the construction of a local wind farm months later. Likewise, coming to oppose that local wind farm can deepen a person’s general conspiratorial worldview over time. These mutually reinforcing perspectives can potentially stall the transition to renewable energy sources if community concerns go unaddressed. The research was recently published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.