Public Attitudes Towards Emerging Energy Technologies

• In Event: Policy Pathways in Energy and Aviation Transitions

Abstract

As global efforts to address climate change, innovative energy technologies such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen energy are gaining increased attention beyond traditional renewables. However, public perceptions and acceptance of CCUS and hydrogen, particularly at the local level, remain underexplored. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to investigate public attitudes toward CCUS and hydrogen energy. First, we conducted text mining to analyze public discourse on Reddit and YouTube. A preliminary analysis of 2,327 comments from 45 Reddit posts mentioning “CCUS” reveals a conversation largely centered on economic concerns about cost, scalability, and economic feasibility. Sentiment analysis indicates a generally neutral tone with a slight positive trend. To ensure a balanced and representative insights, we are conducting a nationwide survey (a representative sample of 4,000 U.S. residents) to explore public opinions on the risks, benefits, and costs of CCUS and hydrogen energy, with a particular focus on perceived local impacts and equity issues. The ongoing survey also examines how these perceptions vary across demographic and regional groups. To evaluate how different messages shape public perceptions, we conducted a survey experiment where participants are exposed to statements emphasizing Economic Benefits, Regional Impact, Environmental Benefits, or Safety Concerns.This research has the following contributions. First, the nationwide survey mitigates selection bias from social media platforms, providing a comprehensive and representative understanding of public attitudes towards CCUS and hydrogen energy, especially capturing voices from local communities. Secondly, our findings will provide valuable insights on addressing equity concerns for policymakers and aligning leadership initiatives with community needs and concerns (Bidwell, 2016; Kalkbrenner & Roosen, 2016; Nilson & Stedman, 2022). Based on our experimental setup and findings, this research will provide practical recommendations on communication strategies for stakeholders on encouraging local communities’ acceptance. Finally, this project seeks to apply Large Language Models (LLMs) in the public policy domain, showing a cross-disciplinary fusion of advanced computational tools with policy research.

Authors

• Xiaofeng Ye, University of Maryland, College Park
  Presenting Author

• Yueming (Lucy) Lucy Qiu, University of Maryland, College Park
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Destenie Nock, Carnegie Mellon University
  Non-Presenting Co-Author