Re-visiting the ‘social gap’: public opinion and relations of power in the local politics of wind energy

TLDR

The 2005 framework identified a social gap between high survey support for wind energy and low application success, and an individual gap of local opposition, challenging the view that NIMBYism alone explains the social gap. This analysis revisits the framework to incorporate theoretical and empirical advances since its publication. The authors expanded and revised the original framework, drawing new conclusions about the causes of the social gap. The study identified democratic deficit, qualified support, and NIMBYism as explanations for the social gap and suggested various policy responses, concluding that these factors jointly explain the gap.

Abstract

Our widely cited 2005 explanatory framework for considering public responses to wind farm developments distinguished two gaps: a 'social gap' between the high support for wind energy reported in surveys and the low success rate for wind farm applications; and an 'individual gap' whereby an individual supports wind energy in general but opposes a local wind farm (NIMBYism). The popular assumption that NIMBYism was the only explanation for the 'social gap' was contested. Instead, three explanations of the social gap were provided – democratic deficit, qualified support, and NIMBYism – and a range of different policy responses was suggested. This analysis is re-visited in order to take account of the theoretical and empirical developments since its publication. The original explanatory framework is expanded and revised and new conclusions are drawn about the likely causes of the 'social gap'.