Abstract
Acceptability of renewable energy projects depends on the trust people have in agents responsible for those projects. Two dimensions of trust are relevant in this respect: competence-based and integrity-based trust. Yet, the unique and interaction effects of these two dimensions of trust on project acceptability are not well understood. We conducted two experimental studies to test these effects in China and the Netherlands. As expected, higher integrity-based trust in responsible agents led to higher project acceptability in both countries. Notably, these effects were independent of the level of competence-based trust. Competence-based trust enhanced project acceptability only in China and only when integrity-based trust was low. Mediation analyses further showed that (part of) the effects of both dimensions of trust on project acceptability could be explained by people's perceptions of how the decisions were made, in both countries. Results suggest that integrity-based trust has a more profound effect on project acceptability.
Highlights
IntroductionIt is crucial to transit from fossil (e.g., coal and gas) to renewable energy sources (e.g., solar and wind) (European Commission, n.d.)
To mitigate climate change, it is crucial to transit from fossil to renewable energy sources (European Commission, n.d.)
De Bruin & Van Lange, 1999, 2000). These findings suggest that integrity-based trust, which primarily relates to the morality of the responsible agent, would have a stronger effect on project acceptability than competence-based trust, which primarily relates to the performance of the agent
Summary
It is crucial to transit from fossil (e.g., coal and gas) to renewable energy sources (e.g., solar and wind) (European Commission, n.d.). The success of such transition strongly depends on public acceptability of renewable energy projects (Babiker et al, 2018; Devine-Wright, 2009, 2007; Papazu, 2017; Wüstenhagen, Wolsink, & Bürer, 2007). We define public acceptability as the extent to which people evaluate those projects (un)favourably ( on referred to as “project acceptability”). Different agents may be involved in the development of renewable energy projects, such as governments, energy companies and NGOs (Wüstenhagen et al, 2007). Trust in responsible agents is arguably a critical factor that influences project acceptability (Merk, Pönitzsch, Kniebes, Rehdanz, & Schmidt, 2015; Rayner, 2010; Siegrist, Connor, & Keller, 2012; Terwel, Harinck, Ellemers, & Daamen, 2011; Yang, Zhang, & Mcalinden, 2016), besides other factors (see Devine-Wright, 2009; Perlaviciute & Steg, 2014 for reviews)
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