Who is the 'public' when it comes to public opinion on energy? A mixed-methods study of revealed and elicited public attitudes to shale gas extraction

Citation

Whitmarsh L, Gan YS, Devine-Wright P, Evensen D, Dickie J, Connon I, Varley A, Ryder S & Bartie P (2025) Who is the 'public' when it comes to public opinion on energy? A mixed-methods study of revealed and elicited public attitudes to shale gas extraction. Energy Research & Social Science, 119, Art. No.: 103840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103840

Abstract
Shale gas is a contentious energy source. Yet, ‘imagined’ notions of the public (for example, NIMBYs) rarely reflect the reality of public opinion. We use an inductive, empirical approach to define UK publics in relation to shale gas extraction, drawing on multiple data sources (social media, a national survey, and two local surveys) and composite measures. Cluster analyses and thematic coding reveal a diversity of responses ranging from active opposition, through ambivalence, to active support. The number of communities varies by data source and analytical method, but across all datasets we see more opposition than support. Across all datasets, political views were an important lens through which shale gas was understood. Our findings have implications for how developers and policy-makers engage with the public, and expose limitations of pre-defined notions of the public that may not reflect empirical realities.

Keywords
Public attitudes; Imagined publics; Segmentation; Shale gas; Fracking

Journal
Energy Research & Social Science: Volume 119

• Who is the ‘public’ when it comes to public opinion on energy? A mixed-methods study of revealed and elicited public attitudes to shale gas extraction