Explaining Local Residents’ Attitudes toward Shale Gas Exploitation

The Mediating Roles of Risk and Benefit Perceptions

Bibliographic Data

ID15465722
AuthorsLiuyang Yao (0000-0003-4526-3333, Shaanxi Normal University), Qian Zhang (0009-0004-3866-2007, Shaanxi Normal University, corresponding author), Kin Keung Lai (0000-0002-9417-6706, International Business School, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China), Kin-Keung Lai (0000-0003-0014-2095, Shaanxi Normal University), Xianyu Cao (Shaanxi Normal University)
Year2020
Volume17
Issue19
Pages7268-7268
Publication date2020-10-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph17197268
PMID33027899
OpenAlexW3090211699
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited43

Using Fishbein's multi-attribute model, this paper proposes that the impact of socio-demographic and psychosocial factors on local residents' overall attitude toward shale gas exploitation (SGE) is mediated by their risk and benefit perceptions. The proposition has been validated with the generalized structural equation modeling approach with a cross-sectional dataset of 825 residents from China's Fuling shale gas field. Results indicate that the influence of benefit perception on residents' overall attitude outweighs that of risk perception. Moreover, residents' perceived fairness, affective feeling, and trust in regulatory agencies have positive influences on their overall attitude, primarily via their risk and benefit perceptions, in decreasing order of influences. Finally, we also find that residents' attitudes have been significantly influenced by their socio-demographic factors, including age, residential area, and political ideology. Thus, our study extends the literature with theoretical and empirical models by exploring the influences factors of local residents' attitudes toward SGE, and results from our empirical survey provide insight into policy design to promote the acceptance of SGE

China · Feeling · Geography · Ideology · Perception · Political science · Politics · Psychosocial · Risk perception · Structural equation modeling · Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics · Psychology · Risk Perception and Management · Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy · Social Psychology

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