Explaining Popular Support for Wind Energy in the United States

In the last 35 years, wind energy in the United States has transformed from being fringe and experimental to becoming a mainstream, viable, and efficient source of electricity. In this article, we compare wind energy acceptance to acceptance of other energy sources, in particular solar, coal, natural gas, and oil. Through an online survey of 1317 adults throughout the United States, we also examine the impact of individual- level characteristics such as gender, race, age, socio-political factors, and value orientation on a person’s support for renewable energy policy. We find that support for wind energy is higher than for fossil fuels for all groups regardless of demographics, educational attainment, or political ideology. However, support for wind energy policies is highest among millennials, non-whites, college educated, liberals, and those with high egoistic and biospheric values