The Social Acceptance Of Shale Gas Development: Evidence From Turkey

Social acceptance can have an important impact on the market penetration of energy technologies and the successful implementation of energy policies. Hence, it is essential to develop quantitative measures of acceptance to be able to manage it. This study adopts a behavioral model to examine the antecedent factors of the social acceptance of shale gas development in Turkey. It utilizes data from a structured questionnaire to estimate a partial least squares model that is based on psychological factors that impact acceptance. This study then explores the influence of the source and content of information on shale gas acceptance. The model results indicate that environmental problem perception and perceived costs do not have a significant effect on the social acceptance of shale gas development. The results have important implications for policymakers as well. The analysis demonstrates that attitudes may be changed through selecting an adequate means of communication between professional actors and society. Effective communication may reduce anxiety about risks associated with shale gas development by allowing individuals to develop a better understanding of the technology. The analysis also suggests that information provision by scientists may prevent the utilization of previous experiences in constructing a knowledge base. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).