How information gaining affects public acceptance in large-scale infrastructure projects: A comparative case study

Abstract

Large-scale infrastructure projects (LIPs) make significant contributions to the urban development. However, the public acceptance of LIPs varied in terms of public attitudes and perceptions via information seeking and processing. In order to investigate the role of information gaining on public acceptance in various LIPs, this study combined situational theory of publics (STP) and theory of rational actions (TRA), while a Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) facility and a non-NIMBY facility were selected for a comparative case study. Face-to-face interview surveys were conducted, and the relationship between information gaining and public acceptance was explored via two structural equation models. The results show that: (1) Information gaining has no significant effect on the public acceptance of NIMBY facilities, however, is significantly associated with that of non-NIMBY facilities. (2) Attitudes and subjective norms perform the mediating roles between the main variables in STP and public acceptance. (3) High problem recognition is significantly related to low public acceptance in both cases. For NIMBY facilities, the relationship is mediated by attitudes. By contrast, for non-NIMBY facilities, it is mediated by information gaining and attitudes. (4) People with a high level of involvement are the significant groups that are most likely to engage in information gaining and influence others in both cases. (5) Constraint recognition can motivate the public to communicate with others for the NIMBY facility, yet it could discourage information gaining for the non-NIMBY facility. These findings help authorities to better understand the role of information gaining in public acceptance and to streamline the decision-making process in LIPs.