"Risky transitions?" Risk perceptions, public concerns, and energy infrastructure in Germany

Citizen protests against large-scale energy infrastructure technologies underline the vital role of public acceptance for energy planning. Research has found risk and benefit perceptions to affect energy technology acceptance considerably. Comparing risk and benefit perceptions of wind turbines, electricity pylons, and mobile phone masts, an empirical study was undertaken in Germany. The study examined whether there are types of risks perceived as particularly relevant, regardless of the technology, or whether each technology (wind, electricity transmission, mobile technology) has a specific "risk pattern." Benefit perceptions and trust did not differ between energy infrastructure technologies (wind turbines and electricity pylons), though perceived risks were significantly higher in the pylon context compared to wind turbines. Energy infrastructure was perceived as significantly less hazardous than mobile phone infrastructure. Beyond the impact of different mast types, also person-specific effects influenced risk perceptions: The higher the perceived knowledge about large-scale infrastructure technologies, the lower was the overall risk perception associated with the respective technology. Persons with less perceived knowledge showed lower levels of technical self-efficacy and, in case of wind turbines, a lower environmental awareness. Findings can be used for tailoring future information and public communication concepts to the user-specific requirements regarding energy infrastructure planning.