The Influence of Cultural Worldviews on Public Support for Carbon Capture and Storage with the Risk of Induced Seismicity

Abstract

We investigate the influence of cultural worldviews on public support for carbon capture and storage (CCS) with the risk of induced seismicity, while controlling for demographic factors, political affiliation, and religious beliefs. Using data from an online survey, we employ the cultural theory of risk framework to examine how hierarchy, egalitarian, individualism, and fatalist worldviews shape attitudes towards CCS when there is a noted risk of small earthquakes occurring due to the CCS. We find that individualism has a negative correlation with CCS support, while fatalism and egalitarianism have positive correlations. The absence of a significant correlation between the hierarchy worldview and CCS support suggests that other factors may be more influential in shaping hierarchists' attitudes toward CCS. We discuss these results in the context of each cultural worldview’s relation to nature, noting the importance of considering cultural worldviews alongside demographic variables when assessing public perceptions of CCS, given its known side effect risks. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex social and cultural dynamics surrounding social acceptance of CCS.