Values in the backyard: the relationship between people’s values and their evaluations of a real, nearby energy project

Research on abstract and/or hypothetical energy projects (e.g., nuclear, wind, solar energy) has shown that people favour support their core values, and disfavour threaten values. The question is to what extent consider the implications for values once become concrete, have real consequences, come backyard. In a community affected by earthquakes induced gas extraction, we studied relationships between people's concerns about acceptability of extraction. more strongly endorsed biospheric (i.e., caring nature environment) altruistic others), negatively they evaluated extraction earthquakes. Stronger egoistic personal resources) were associated with less negative evaluations earthquakes, possibly due user economic benefits supply from natural gas. findings consistent across three local regions vary in exposure five measurement points over six years, providing robust evidence when evaluating real, nearby projects. Furthermore, results substantiate critique NIMBY (Not-in-My-Backyard) explanation resistance projects, which assumes are guided exclusively immediate selfish concerns.