Public agreement with misinformation about wind farms

Kevin Winter (), Matthew J. Hornsey, Lotte Pummerer and Kai Sassenberg
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Kevin Winter: University of Hohenheim
Matthew J. Hornsey: University of Queensland Business School
Lotte Pummerer: Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien
Kai Sassenberg: Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Misinformation campaigns target wind farms, but levels of agreement with this misinformation among the broader public are unclear. Across six nationally quota-based samples in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia (total N = 6008), over a quarter of respondents agree with half or more of contrarian claims about wind farms. Agreement with diverse claims is highly correlated, suggesting an underlying belief system directed at wind farm rejection. Consistent with this, agreement is best predicted (positively) by a conspiracist worldview (i.e., the general tendency to believe in conspiracy theories; explained variance ΔR² = 0.11–0.20) and (negatively) by a pro-ecological worldview (ΔR² = 0.04–0.13). Exploratory analyses show that agreement with contrarian claims is associated with lower support for pro-wind policies and greater intentions to protest against wind farms. We conclude that wind farm contrarianism is a mainstream phenomenon, rooted in people’s worldviews and that poses a challenge for communicators and institutions committed to accelerating the energy transition.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53278-2

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