(iPoster) Public Preferences for Electricity Mix Policy Strategies and Trade-Offs

• In Event: Poster Session: Science, Technology, and Environmental Politics

Abstract

Do the different combinations of energy sources influence public preferences (i.e., acceptance or rejection) of a broader meta-plan on electricity mix? Or do the policy designs that focus on environmental justice, or citizen participation in decision-making, along with major policy approaches, compliance with international climate mitigation goals, or other issue coverage, explain the public preference for a broader government plan on the electricity mix? This study examines the effect of policy/program design strategies on the preferences for the governmental (meta-)plan for electricity mix, when the government has allocated the given absolute resources for investment in future electricity generation in its jurisdiction, necessitating the selection of a single energy source at the expense of others. Using original conjoint experiments to be conducted in both the United States and the Republic of Korea around April 2026, this study is expected to fill a gap in existing studies on energy mix policy preferences, which do not directly account for the fundamental trade-offs among various energy source types. The existing literature has usually only requested a preference for individual resources, and experimental evidence has been scarce. In this context, this research aims to illuminate the relationship between policy design and public preferences and trade-offs in environmental decisions, especially about public programs/policies and management in energy and climate policy settings, by highlighting inherent trade-offs in sustainable energy transitions through compositional lenses.

Author

• Hyodong Sohn, Wofford College