再生可能エネルギーの受容性と責任ある主体：政府・企業への信頼の影響の解明

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Institutional trust is not a uniform driver of RE acceptance; actor-specific trust has distinct cognitive and affective effects.

🏢実務担当者:Companies should communicate public benefits and ensure accountability to build trust, as corporate trust alone may not increase perceived benefits.

🏛政策担当者:Transparency and participatory governance are essential to strengthen government trust, which is linked to higher perceived benefits but also negative emotions.

Abstract Background The global transition towards renewable energy (RE) is essential for mitigating climate change and reducing dependency on fossil fuels. However, this transformation faces significant challenges related to public acceptance, which is shaped by social, environmental, and economic concerns. Among the many factors influencing acceptance, trust in institutions plays a particularly critical role as energy transition policies involve high levels of uncertainty, long-term impacts, and an asymmetry of information, which requires citizens to rely on institutional actors when evaluating risks and benefits. Existing research often fails to differentiate trust in actors, particularly between government and corporations. This study addresses this gap by examining how different forms of institutional trust shape perceptions of RE technologies in Germany, including perceived benefits, perceived disadvantages, and affective responses. Results Based on a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative structural equation modelling using a representative telephone survey ( N = 1155), the findings reveal a differentiated trust landscape. Trust in government is associated with stronger perceived benefits and lower perceived disadvantages of RE, but simultaneously with higher levels of negative emotional responses, potentially reflecting frustration with bureaucratic processes and unmet expectations. In contrast, trust in corporations is linked to more positive affective responses, while at the same time reducing perceived benefits and increasing perceived disadvantages, indicating skepticism toward corporate motives despite optimism about technological innovation. Conclusions The results demonstrate that institutional trust does not function as a uniformly positive driver of RE acceptance, but rather as a complex and actor-specific mechanism involving both cognitive and affective evaluations. By differentiating between governmental and corporate trust, the study extends existing acceptance models and highlights important implications for policy and communication strategies. Strengthening trust in government requires transparency and participatory governance, whereas fostering trust in corporations depends on accountability, fairness, and the clear communication of public benefits.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-026-00599-3first seen 2026-09-07 04:36:35