Seiffert, Paula (2024) Power to the People: Democratic Pathways to Climate Policy Acceptance. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
The unprecedented challenge of climate change necessitates climate policies that can rely on public support. One suggested way to garner such support is by means of public participation. This study therefore examines the role of perceived control, deliberation, and procedural fairness in the relationship between different public participation procedures and policy acceptance of deep geothermal energy. We conducted an online vignette study using a five-condition between-subjects design with student participants, each condition varying in the type of decision-making process, resulting in the decision to implement geothermal heating at their university faculty. Analysis of variance showed that participants perceived more control in a referendum compared to a top-down procedure and a citizens' assembly, but seemed to perceive more deliberation in a citizens' assembly compared to the other procedures. Furthermore, we examined whether perceived control and perceived deliberation predict perceived procedural fairness, which in turn mediates their relationship with policy acceptance. Structural equation modeling indicated that perceived control is fully mediated by perceived procedural fairness, while perceived deliberation seems only partially mediated, with both influencing policy acceptance. We conclude that in order to increase acceptance of climate policies, public participation procedures should combine the sense of control felt in a referendum with the perceived deliberation found in citizens’ assemblies. Keywords: climate change, public participation, control, deliberation, procedural fairness
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Supervisor name: | Ankone, B.A.H. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Jul 2024 07:01 |
| Last Modified: | 26 Jul 2024 07:01 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4160 |
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