Not-in-my-backyard but let’s talk: Explaining public opposition to facility siting in urban China

Abstract

This paper examines determinants of public attitudes toward the siting of two hypothetical projects with similar environmental consequences but different developmental implications, i.e., a waste disposal facility and a large chemical plant. It addresses the ongoing debate whether public opposition is driven by the NIMBY syndrome or rather reflects the rise of rights consciousness among citizens in the empirical context of developing economies, using data from a 2014 questionnaire survey of 2500 residents in four Chinese cities. Statistical results show that self-interest concerns have only mild relevance predicting opposition to waste disposal facilities and no influence in large chemical plants. In contrast, deprivation of participation emerges as the primary reason for opposition to large chemical plants, a project with strong developmental implications. Interestingly, environmental knowledge tends to mitigate public opposition to waste disposal plants. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed in the conclusion.