NIMBYism – A re-examination of the phenomenon

•We examine whether people will oppose all facility types in their neighborhood.•We examine whether people adjust motivations for resistance to appear public minded.•We combine observational and experimental data.•In support of NIMBY-ism, expectations are largely fulfilled.

NIMBYism is the idea that citizens will oppose the siting of facilities in their neighborhood for selfish reasons. Using a new treatment – type of facility rather than geographical proximity to a particular site – the paper explores two rarely researched manifestations of NIMBYism: that people are so sensitive to nuisances that they oppose the siting of all facility types in their neighborhood; and that people will adjust motivations for resistance to appear public minded. Results from both observational and experimental studies support the basic claims of NIMBYism.