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How do U.S. state residents form opinions about ‘fracking’ in social contexts? A multilevel analysis

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  • Howell, Emily L.
  • Li, Nan
  • Akin, Heather
  • Scheufele, Dietram A.
  • Xenos, Michael A.
  • Brossard, Dominique

Abstract

Increased hydraulic fracturing operations (also known as ‘fracking’) in the U.S. have introduced a larger portion of the public to new and more extensive risks and benefits: from concerns of impacts on water quality and human health to benefits from increased oil and gas production and local economic development. As most policy affecting fracking occurs at the state-level, it is important to understand how citizens’ support for the technology is shaped by their states’ industrial, environmental, and socioeconomic experiences. Using a nationally representative survey, we construct a multilevel model to understand how individuals’ support for fracking varies as a function of both individual- and state-level characteristics. At the state-level, we find that people residing in states with a higher poverty rate and higher ground water use for public drinking supply are more likely to support fracking. At the individual level, the relationships between risk/benefit perceptions and support vary as a function of the state people live in. Additionally, the positive relationship between conservatism and support for fracking is stronger for people residing in states with a higher poverty rate. Based on these findings, we discuss the dynamics of public opinion in social contexts and implications on energy policymaking.

Suggested Citation

  • Howell, Emily L. & Li, Nan & Akin, Heather & Scheufele, Dietram A. & Xenos, Michael A. & Brossard, Dominique, 2017. "How do U.S. state residents form opinions about ‘fracking’ in social contexts? A multilevel analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 345-355.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:106:y:2017:i:c:p:345-355
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2017.04.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Sean Lonnquist & Deborah Gallagher, 2021. "Use of Fracking Information Disclosure Policies to Reduce Uncertainty in Risk‐Based Decisions," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 38(3), pages 326-346, May.
    5. Lee, Michelle H.W. & Clark, Ashley & Rupp, John & Wietelman, Derek C. & Graham, John D., 2019. "Public opinion toward hydraulic fracturing: The effect of beyond compliance and voluntary third-party certification," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 306-315.
    6. Walsh, Kathryn Bills & Haggerty, Julia H., 2020. "Social license to operate during Wyoming's coalbed methane boom: Implications of private participation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    7. Susan T. Zimny & Margaret C. Reardon, 2021. "Environmental justice expansion in the context of fracking," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(2), pages 234-246, June.
    8. Shawn Olson Hazboun & Hilary Schaffer Boudet, 2020. "Public Preferences in a Shifting Energy Future: Comparing Public Views of Eight Energy Sources in North America’s Pacific Northwest," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-21, April.
    9. Judith I. M. de Groot & Elisa Schweiger & Iljana Schubert, 2020. "Social Influence, Risk and Benefit Perceptions, and the Acceptability of Risky Energy Technologies: An Explanatory Model of Nuclear Power Versus Shale Gas," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(6), pages 1226-1243, June.
    10. Rachael M. Moyer, 2022. "Images of controversy: Examining cognition of hydraulic fracturing among policy elites and the general public," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(4), pages 441-467, July.
    11. Mayer, Adam, 2017. "Political identity and paradox in oil and gas policy: A study of regulatory exaggeration in Colorado, US," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 452-459.
    12. Clarke, Christopher E. & Evensen, Darrick T.N., 2023. "Attention to news media coverage of unconventional oil/gas development impacts: Exploring psychological antecedents and effects on issue support," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    13. Pierce, Jonathan J. & Boudet, Hilary & Zanocco, Chad & Hillyard, Megan, 2018. "Analyzing the factors that influence U.S. public support for exporting natural gas," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 666-674.

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