Public perceptions of energy policies: Predicting support, opposition, and nonsubstantive responses

Public policy preferences can impact policymaking, from influencing what policies are or are not implemented to legitimizing policy decisions. Researchers have examined public support/opposition to a wide variety of energy issues, as well as predictors of these preferences. However, researchers have typically excluded the views of those who say they “don't know” or do not respond to questions about a particular policy, even when they make up a sizable portion of the population. As a result, we know little about those who provide nonsubstantive responses to energy policy questions, as compared to those who provide support/opposition responses. In this article, I examine the roles of issue awareness, risk perception, and socio-demographic characteristics in predicting support, opposition, and not sure responses to three different energy development issues: nuclear power, the Keystone XL pipeline, and hydraulic fracturing. One of the key findings is that the risk perception predictors of nonsubstantive responses more closely resemble the risk perception predictors of opposition rather than the predictors of support. By excluding the policy preferences of those who “don't know” or do not answer, researchers are likely providing policymakers with estimates that underrepresent the views of those who are more concerned about environmental risk.