General belief in secret plots predicts whether someone will oppose local wind farms months later. At the same time, opposing specific turbine projects can deepen a person’s broad suspicions, creating a cycle that threatens the transition to renewable energy.

A generalized tendency to believe in secret plots can predict whether someone will oppose the construction of a local wind farm months later. Likewise, coming to oppose that local wind farm can deepen a person’s general conspiratorial worldview over time. These mutually reinforcing perspectives can potentially stall the transition to renewable energy sources if community concerns go unaddressed. The research was recently published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

  • rumschlumpel@feddit.org
    9·
    7 days ago

    It is also possible that a deeper, underlying trait might be the root cause driving both wind farm opposition and conspiracy beliefs simultaneously. A general disposition to distrust others, for example, could make someone highly susceptible to both phenomena.

    More likely, both of these are caused by rightwing ideology, as rightwing propaganda promotes both belief in conspiracy myths and wind farm opposition.

    • Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz
      2·
      7 days ago

      I think there’s an underlying emotional problem that manifests as right-wing ideology and conspiratorial thinking.