Issue: Energy Policy

Use media behavior to learn how to reach and move people toward a narrative for all major household appliances and vehicles that is pro-electric. “Lifestyle conservatives” look like a key audience: Better understanding the factors underlying their consideration of and conversion to electrics seems important; this may point to supply-side work that needs doing. Excellent message research on EV’s exists: focus on the policy infrastructure for mainstreaming EVs means it may be of limited utility in understanding consumer choices for lifestyle conservatives, given how lukewarm they can be on government policy for just about anything; also any emphasis on climate is not likely to help here. Most important is to start making content: think about putting content out into the world and testing it with audiences in quick iterative loops that connect back to and constantly update strategic assumptions.

A video featuring landowners discussing the benefits of solar energy enhances local support for siting and permitting utility-scale renewable energy projects. Landowner-centered videos enhanced support by 20-25 percentage points (compared to a video unrelated to energy). Groups most persuaded by this message were Trump voters, non-farm landowners and people living in urban areas. The target sample included people in “priority counties” in 25 states with potential for solar development (AZ, CA, CO, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NM, NV, NY, OH, PA, TX, VA, WA, WV).