Are Biofuels the Answer in Search for Green Energy?: An Examination of Public Attitudes Toward Biofuels

• In Event: Energy Issues: Public Opinion, Attitudes, and Behavior

Abstract

Biofuels offer a potential source of renewable energy, with the promise and perils to environment, economy, and society. The purpose of this paper was to understand the public opinion about this controversial renewable energy. Using an experiment embedded within a representative survey, this study examined the interactive effect of party identification and risk/benefit perception on public opinion about biofuels. The findings suggest that the effect of party identification on opinion about biofuels varied when individuals consider risk/benefit of biofuels in different domains. More self-identified Democrats tend to support funding biofuels research when primed with economic risks or social/ethical risks of biofuels. For those who thought of social/ethical benefits of biofuels, more self-identified Democrats are likely to support biofuels production and use. However, more self-identified Democrats are less supportive of biofuels production and use when they considered the political risks of biofuels. Implications are discussed.

Authors

• Timothy Fung, Hong Kong Baptist University

• Doo-Hun Choi, U of Wisconsin

• Dietram A. Scheufele, U of Wisconsin

• Bret Shaw, U of Wisconsin